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Yale  College 

A    SKETCH    OF     ITS    HISTORY 

WITH    NOTICES     OF 

ITS    SEVER  A I     DEPARTMENTS,    INSTRUCTORS,    AND    BENEFACTORS 

TOGETHER    WITH  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  STUDENT  LIFE 

AND  AMUSEMENTS 

BY    VARIOUS    AUTHORS 

EDITED      BY 

WILLIAM    L.    KINGSLEY 

ILLUSTRATED     WITH    VIEWS    AND    PORTRAITS 

IN     TWO     VOLUMES 

Vol.   I 


NEW     YORK 
HENRY     HOLT     AND     COMPANY 

1879 


Copyright,    1879 

BY 

HENRY     HOLT     &     CO. 


NEW   YORK  :     J.    J.   LITTLE   4  CO.,    PRINTERS, 
10   TO  20   ASTQR   PLACE. 


V*tk 
V.I 


TO    THE   ALUMNI    OF  YALE 

THIS    ACCOUNT    OF     THE    PLAN    OF    THE    FIRST    COLONISTS    OF    NEW    HAVEN    TO 

ESTABLISH     AN     INSTITUTION     FOR     THE     PROMOTION     OF     LIBERAL 

LEARNING,    AND    OF    THE    SUCCESSIVE    STEPS    BY    WHICH 

THEIR      EFFORTS      AND      THOSE      OF      THEIR 

SUCCESSORS    HAVE    CONVERTED   THE 

HOPE    OF     1638    INTO    THE 

REALITY    OF     1 878, 

IS     RESPECTFULLY     DEDICATED. 


PREFACE. 


In  submitting-  to  my  fellow  alumni  this  collection  of  papers  relating  to  the  history  of 
their  alma  mater,  and  of  its  various  departments,  some  few  words  of  explanation  seem 
fitting. 

In  the  autumn  of  1875,  several  requests  having  been  simultaneously  made  by  differ- 
ent persons  to  the  Faculty  for  their  sanction  and  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  a 
pictorial  history  and  description  of  the  College,  the  subject  was  taken  into  considera- 
tion at  a  general  meeting  of  the  Professors  of  the  different  departments.  At  this 
meeting,  such  objections  were  made  to  the  project  that  it  was  abandoned.  But,  as  the 
result  of  the  consultation,  a  new  plan  was  devised,  and  the  present  editor  and  pub- 
lishers— who  are  all  of  them  alumni  of  the  institution — were  informed  then,  for  the  first 
time,  of  what  had  been  proposed,  and  were  requested  to  take  the  work  in  charge.  The 
labors  of  the  editor  were  substantially  ended  in  a  twelvemonth;  but,  owing  to  the 
depressed  financial  condition  of  the  country,  the  final  completion  and  publication  of 
these  volumes  have  been  postponed  till  now. 

As  no  history  of  the  College  has  appeared  since  the  "  Sketch"  by  Professor  James 
L.  Kingsley  in  1835,  it  seemed  desirable  that  a  new  and  somewhat  extended  historical 
account  should  be  furnished.  In  its  preparation,  the  writer  has  thought  it  best  to  give, 
throughout  the  whole  narrative,  greater  prominence  to  the  contemporary  history  than 
has  been  thought  necessary  heretofore,  from  the  conviction  that  a  proper  understand- 
ing of  the  political  complications  of  the  times,  and  especially  of  the  differences  at  the 
close  of  the  seventeenth  century  in  the  religious  and  ecclesiastical  views  of  the  people 
of  the  New  Haven  Colony  from  those  generally  held  in  other  parts  of  Connecticut, 
would  remove  some  misconceptions  which  have  been  entertained  in  certain  quarters 
respecting  the  origin  of  the  College  and  the  early  policy  of  its  founders. 

It  fell  also  within  the  scope  of  these  volumes  to  furnish  papers  relating  to  the  dif- 
ferent departments  of  the  College,  and  for  this  purpose,  as  it  will  be  seen,  the  assistance 
has  been  secured,  in  all  cases,  of  persons  officially  connected  with  them  and  who  are 
known  to  be  thoroughly  conversant  with  their  affairs. 

vii 


viii  PREFACE. 

The  descriptions  of  college  life,  college  institutions,  and  college  amusements,  have 
been  intrusted  to  those  who  have  had  the  best  opportunities  of  becoming  practically 
acquainted  with  these  subjects,  and  it  is  thought  that  the  elaborate  papers  which  they 
have  contributed  will  be  deemed  highly  valuable,  and  serve  to  call  up  many  pleasant 
associations  in  the  minds  of  all  who  remember  their  New  Haven  home  with  affection, 
or  desire  to  know  how  and  with  what  success  the  sports  and  entertainments  which 
once  occupied  their  leisure  hours  have  been  cherished  and  conducted  by  the  successive 
classes  who  have  taken  their  places. 

The  subject  of  college  societies,  though  of  very  general  interest,  has  been  intention- 
ally left  untouched,  for  the  reason  that  any  history  or  description  of  these  numerous 
fraternities  must  be  necessarily  imperfect,  since  their  organizations  and  meetings  are 
secret.  Pictures,  however,  of  the  halls  of  those  societies  which  are  provided  with 
them,  appear  in  their  place  in  the  work. 

Other  omissions  will  undoubtedly  be  noticed,  for,  to  present  a  full  account  of  all  the 
subjects  which  are  of  interest  to  the  graduates  of  the  College,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
add  to  these  volumes  indefinitely  ;  but  with  their  present  contents  the  work  has  already 
reached  a  size  beyond  which  it  is  impracticable  to  go. 

Ample  pictorial  illustration,  however,  has  been  provided,  which  leaves  scarcely  any- 
thing additional  to  be  desired.  The  full-page  heliotypes  are,  with  few  exceptions, 
taken  directly  from  the  objects  selected  for  representation.  The  same  is  true  of  many 
of  the  woodcuts  ;  though  there  are,  besides,  a  large  number  which  have  been  obtained 
from  sources  so  numerous  that  acknowledgment  can  only  be  made  for  the  appreciable 
portion  taken  by  permission  from  "  Sketches  of  Yale  College,  by  Ezekiel  P.  Belden," 
published  in  New  York  by  Saxton  &  Miles,  in  1843,  and  from  the  number  for  April, 
1876,  of  "  Scribner's  Monthly."  Of  these  two  classes  of  illustrations,  the  quaint  archaic 
buildings  copied  from  the  first  have  an  interest  not  surpassed  by  that  which  will  be  felt 
in  the  more  highly  finished  pictures  taken  from  the  latter,  which  present  the  well-known 
structures  that  have  been  erected  in  recent  times.  Some  of  the  vignettes,  also,  are 
specially  valuable,  as  they  supply  views,  which  have  been  obtained  with  much  difficulty, 
of  buildings  of  historic  interest,  long  since  demolished,  of  which  no  pictorial  represen- 
tations have  ever  been  published  before. 

In  conclusion,  the  editor  will  state  that  he  has  received  valuable  assistance  from  a 
large  number  of  the  officers  and  graduates  of  the  College — so  large,  that  it  will  be  im- 
possible for  him  to  mention  them  all  by  name  in  this  place  ;  but  he  cannot  forbear  to 
make  special  acknowledgment  to  his  friends,  Professor  George  P.  Fisher  and  Professor 
Thomas  A.  Thacher,  for  the  readiness  which  they  have  always  manifested  to  assist 
him,  and  for  the  interest  which  they  have  uniformly,  and  at  all  times,  shown  in  the 
work  which  was  assigned  to  him. 

WILLIAM    L.    KINGSLEY. 

New  Haven,  December  31,  1878. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOLUME  I. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH         ....  By  William  L.   Kingsley. 

CHAPTER  I. — Early  Efforts  of  the  New  Haven  Colonists  to  found  a  College. 

New  Haven  designed  to  be  a  College  Town  from  the  first. — The  Rev.  John  Davenport, 
Vicar  of  St.  Stephen's,  Coleman  Street,  London. — Incurs  the  displeasure  of  Laud. — Flies  to 
Holland. — Conceives  the  idea  of  founding  in  the  New  World  an  independent  Christian  State. — 
Interests  his  old  Parishioners  in  Coleman  Street. — They  form  a  Company. — Land  in  New 
Haven,  June,  1638. — The  ideas  of  the  Colonists  respecting  Education. — Ezekiel  Cheever. — 
What  was  done  for  the  Higher  Education. — Financial  failure  of  the  Colony. — First  definite 
action  with  regard  to  a  College,  1647. — Action  of  the  General  Court  in  1652. — Subsequent 
action,  1652. — Governor  Eaton's  bequest  of  books. — Governor  Hopkins's  bequest. — Action 
taken  in  1660. — Instruction  commenced. — Difficulties. — New  Haven  annexed  to  Connecticut. 
— Indian  War. — Sir  Edmund  Andros. — Results  in  1700. — Love  of  Learning  established  among 
the  People. — The  Hopkins  Grammar  School  founded. — One  in  ten  of  the  graduates  of  Har- 
vard from  New  Haven. — The  way  prepared  for  a  College.       ....... 

CHAPTER  II.— Foundation  of  the  College,  A.D.  1700. 

Despondency  of  the  People  of  New  England  after  the  Restoration. — Religious  declension. — 
Revival  of  prosperity  after  the  Revolution  of  1688. — James  Pierpont,  Samuel  Andrew,  Samuel 
Russel. — Advantage  taken  of  the  new  state  of  things. — The  probable  revival  of  the  idea  of 
founding  a  College  in  New  Haven. — Plan  delayed  by  War  with  France. — Coalition  against 
Louis  XIV. — Peace  of  Ryswick,  A.D.  1697. — New  efforts  to  establish  a  College. — Plan  of  Rev. 
Cotton  Mather. — Ecclesiastical  Establishment  Party. — Plan  of  New  Haven  Ministers. — Trus- 
tees nominated. — New  Haven  influence  predominant. — Israel  Chauncy,  Thomas  Buckingham, 
Abraham  Pierson,  Noadiah  Russel,  Samuel  Andrew,  James  Pierpont,  Joseph  Webb,  James 
Noyes,  Samuel  Mather,  Timothy  Woodbridge. — Meeting  in  New  Haven,  A.D.  1700. — Meeting 
by  appointment  at  Bran  ford. — College  founded  by  the  presentation  of  books. — Doubts  as  to 
the  expediency  of  applying  for  a  Charter. — Experience  of  Harvard  College. — Thought  "  safe 
and  best  "  to  proceed. — The  Sewall  and  Addington  Draft. — Altered  to  suit  the  views  of  the 
Trustees. — Donation  of  Hon.  James  Fitch. — The  peculiar  phraseology  of  the  Charter. — "  Tu- 
tors or  Ushers." — Meeting  of  the  Trustees  at  Saybrook,  November  n,  1701. — College  estab- 
ix 


Paoe 


Pa  g  h 


II 


CONTENTS. 

lished  at  Saybrook  "for  the  present." — Abraham  Pierson  elected  Rector. — "Orders"  of  the 
Trustees  respecting  his  duties. — Instruction  to  be  given  at  Kenilworth. — Plan  of  Studies. — 
First  Student. —  Monument  erected  A.I).  1 868. — First  Commencement.— Election  of  Tutor. — 
I  Jiscouragement. — Queen  Anne's  War. — Rector  Pierson's  death. — Launt  Thompson's  Statue. — 
Modern  historical  criticism.       ............. 

CHAPTER  III. — Removal  of  the  College  to  New  Haven. 

Rev.  Samuel  Andrew  elected  Rector,  pro  tempore. — Senior  Class  at  Milford.— Other  Classes 
at  Saybrook. — New  efforts  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Establishment  Party. — These  favored  by  Gover- 
nor Saltonstall. — The  Synod  of  1708. — Saybrook  Platform. — Officers  of  the  College  required  to 
give  assent  to  it. — Liberally  interpreted  in  New  Haven. — War  of  the  Spanish  Succession. — 
Effect  upon  Connecticut. — Ruinous  to  the  College. — Peace  of  Utrecht,  A.  D.  17 13. — Brighter 
days. — Gift  of  books  from  Sir  John  Davie. — Books  sent  from  England  by  Jeremiah  Dummer, 
Esq. — Governor  Elihu  Yale's  first  gift. — Unceasing  efforts  of  Rev.  James  Pierpont  in  behalf 
of  the  College. — His  death. — Students  dissatisfied  with  location  of  College. — Dissatisfaction 
encouraged  from  interested  motives. — "  Broken  condition  "  of  the  institution  in  the  summer  of 
17 16. — Efforts  to  secure  its  removal  to  the  northern  part  of  the  State. — Last  Commencement 
in  Saybrook,  A.D.  1716. — The  only  Tutor  resigns. — Trustees  discuss  the  question  of  removal. 
— No  decision. — New  Haven  makes  an  effort  to  obtain  the  College. — Favored  by  a  majority  of 
the  Trustees. — Vote  of  October  17,  17 16,  to  remove  the  College  to  New  Haven. — Instruction 
commenced  in  New  Haven  for  the  academic  year  17 16-17 17. — Excitement  throughout  the 
Colony. — Public  meeting  in  Hartford. — Rival  College  at  Wethersfield. — Action  of  Legislature, 
May,  1 7 17. — Vote  of  Mr.  Ruggles  challenged. — First  Commencement  in  New  Haven,  Septem- 
ber, 17 17. — Building  of  a  College  Hall  begun. — Trustees  summoned  to  appear  before  the 
Legislature,  October,  1 7 1 7. — Efforts  to  secure  the  College  for  Middletown. — Vote  taken  in 
Lower  House. — "Great  throes  and  pangs." — Governor  Saltonstall  saves  the  College  from 
destruction. — The  Legislature  fixes  the  location  in  New  Haven. — Second  gift  of  Governor 
Yale. — College  Hall  in  New  Haven  finished. — Commencement  of  17 18. — The  name  of  Yale 
given  to  the  College  Hall. — Rival  Commencement  at  Wethersfield. — Compromise. — A  "  fitting 
house  "  for  the  General  Court  to  be  built  in  Hartford  at  public  expense. — The  final  location  of 
the  College  in  New  Haven  no  "accident."         ..........         31 

CHAPTER  IV. — Rev.  Timothy  Cutler,  Rector,  A.D.  17 19-1722. 

New  Difficulties. — The  Wethersfield  Students. — "A  very  Vicious  and  Turbulent  Set  of  Fel- 
lows."— Lieutenant  Daniel  Buckingham  refuses  to  give  up  the  Library. — Governor  Saltonstall 
and  the  Council  repair  to  Saybrook. — The  Sheriff  ordered  to  take  the  Property  of  the  College. 
— Resistance  by  "  a  great  number  of  Men." — Books  and  Papers  Lost. — Wethersfield  Students 
complain  of  Tutor  Johnson. — The  Trustees  pronounce  the  Complaints  a  "Scandal." — Wethers- 
field Students  leave  New  Haven  in  a  body. — Rev.  Timothy  Cutler  elected  Rector. — A  House 
built  for  the  Rector. — Death  of  Governor  Yale,  July  8,  1721. — Change  in  the  Religious  Views 
of  Rector  Cutler  and  Tutor  Browne. — Alarm  among  the  Friends  of  the  College. — Rector  Cut- 
ler and  his  Friends  invited  to  an  Interview  with  Trustees. — It  appears  that  they  are  about  to 
apply  for  Episcopal  Orders. — Efforts  of  Governor  Saltonstall  to  stop  the  Movement. — Debate. 
— Rector  Cutler  excused  from  further  service.  .........         49 

CHAPTER  V. — Rev.  Elisha  Williams,  Rector,  17 26-1 739. 

The  College  for  Four  Years  without  a  Permanent  Rector. — Disorder  among  the  Students. — 
Rev.  Elisha  Williams  elected  Rector,  A.D.  1726. — Enlarged  curriculum  of  Academic  Studies. 


CONTENTS. 


Pace 


— Rev.  George  Berkeley,  Dean  of  Derry. — Fortune  bequeathed  to  him  by  Mrs.  Vanhomrig 
(Vanessa). — Plans  a  College  in  the  Isles  of  Bermuda. — Expects  aid  from  the  British  Govern- 
ment.—Sails  for  Newport,  Rhode  Island. — Buys  a  Farm. — Whitehall. — Disappointment. — ■ 
Gives  Whitehall  to  the  College  at  New  Haven. — Foundation  of  three  Scholarships. — 111  health 
of  Rector  Williams. — Resigns  A. D.  1739.  ..........         56 


CHAPTER  VI. — Rev.  Thomas  Clap,  Rector,  A.D.  1739-1745  ;  President,  A.D.  1745-1766. 

A  Period  of  great  religious  and  political  Excitement. — Rev.  Thomas  Clap  elected  Rector. — 
His  business  Capacity. — Revision  of  the  Laws. — Catalogue  of  the  Library. — Annual  Subsidy 
from  the  Legislature  increased. — Curriculum  of  Studies  enlarged. — Draft  for  a  new  Charter 
prepared. — Whitefield  visits  New  Haven. — The  "  Great  Awakening." — Imitators  of  Whitefield. 
— The  New  Haven  Church  divided. — A  Separate  Service  set  up. — Rector  Clap  regards  it  as 
revolutionary  and  dangerous. — Formation  of  political  Parties  in  the  Colony. — The  Students 
are  forbidden  to  attend  the  "  Separate  "  Meeting. — Expulsion  of  David  Brainerd. — The  "  Old 
Light  "  Party  control  the  Legislature. — Ecclesiastical  Laws  of  1742  and  1743. — "  Declaration  " 
against  Whitefield  by  Officers  of  the  College,  A.D.  1745.— Expulsion  of  John  and  Ebenezer 
Cleaveland. — Rector  Clap  high  in  favor  with  the  "  Old  Light  "  Party. — Enabled  in  conse- 
quence to  obtain  a  new  Charter  for  the  College. — Effect  of  the  War  upon  the  College. — Loss 
of  Life  and  waste  of  Treasure  in  Connecticut. — Rector  Clap's  Influence  with  the  Legislature 
unimpaired. — Obtains  assistance  in  building  "  Connecticut  Hall." — Electrical  Experiments  of 
Tutor  Ezra  Stiles. — Linonian  Society. — Change  in  the  Relations  of  President  Clap  to  the 
political  Parties. — Alarmed  by  the  increasing  religious  indifference  of  the  "Old  Lights." — 
Preaching  of  Mr.  Noyes  unsatisfactory. — A  Separate  Service  on  Sunday  commenced  on  College 
Ground. — Foundation  of  a  Chair  for  a  Professor  of  Divinity. — Test  Laws.- — Indignation  of 
"Old  Lights." — "  The  Religious  Constitution  of  Colleges." — Naphtali  Daggett  elected  Profes- 
sor of  Divinity. — A  College  Church  established. — A  House  built  for  the  Professor  of  Divinity. 
— War  of  Pamphlets. — Commencement  of  the  Seven  Years'  War. — War  Debt  of  Connecticut. 
— The  "New  Light"  Majority  in  the  Legislature  induced  by  President  Clap  to  assist  in  build- 
ing a  Chapel. — Persistence  of  the  Enemies  of  President  Clap. — They  appeal  to  the  Legislature 
to  appoint  Visitors. — Reply  of  the  President. — His  Triumph. — His  difficulties  with  the  Tutors. 
— Disorders  in  the  College. — His  Enemies  at  last  victorious. — Resignation. — Death.         .         .         6$ 


CHAPTER  VII. — Rev.  Naphtali  Daggett,  President  pro  tempore,  A.D.  1766-1777. 

A  Successor  to  President  Clap  not  easily  found. — Professor  Daggett  elected  President  pro 
tempore. — Dawn  of  the  Revolution. — A  Succession  of  Tutors  of  unusual  ability. — A  Chair  of 
Natural  Philosophy  founded. — Rev.  Nehemiah  Strong  elected  Professor. — Democratic  Ten- 
dencies of  the  Times. — A  new  Debating  Society. — The  Brothers  in  Unity. — The  College  Laws 
printed  in  English. — Names  of  Students  arranged  alphabetically  in  the  Catalogue. — Growth 
of  a  Taste  for  English  Literature  throughout  the  Country. — It  is  seen  among  the  Students. — 
John  Trumbull. — Timothy  Dwight. — David  Humphreys. — Trumbull  and  Dwight  elected  Tu- 
tors, A.D.  1771. — Trumbull  writes  the  First  Book  of  the  "Progress  of  Dullness." — Criticises 
the  Curriculum  of  Studies  in  the  College. — Dwight  commences  the  "  Conquest  of  Canaan."— 
Trumbull  becomes  Treasurer  of  the  College. — Writes  "  MacFingal." — Inspiring  Influence  of 
Dwight  as  an  Instructor. — The  Students  petition  for  leave  to  employ  him  as  their  Instructor  in 
English  Literature. — Battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord. — Effect  upon  the  College. — Ebenezer 
Huntington. — Difficulty  of  procuring  Food.— Students  dismissed  to  their  homes,  December  10, 
1776. — Resignation  of  President  Daggett,  April,  1777.     .  .......         94 


Ml  CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII.— Rev.  Ezra  Stiles,  D.D.,  President,  1778-1795. 


Page 


Gloomy  Prospects. — Burgoyne's  Invasion. — Influential  Citizens  alienated  from  the  College  in 
consequence  of  the  Religious  Test  Laws  of  President  Clap. — Others  jealous  on  account  of  its 
independence  of  State  Control. — Rev.  Ezra  Stiles,  D.D.,  elected  President. — He  obtains  the 
Repeal  of  the  Religious  Test  Laws.— Asks  for  permanent  Professors. — Obtains  a  Promise  of 
Co-operation  from  prominent  Civilians. — His  Inauguration. — New  Haven  visited  by  a  British 
Force  under  General  Tryon,  July  5,  1779. — Ex-President  Daggett  participates  in  the  Defense 
of  the  Town. — He  is  wounded  and  dies,  A.D.  1780. — Professor  Strong  resigns,  A.D.  1781. — 
Hon.  Silas  Deane  proposes  that  Instruction  in  the  French  Language  should  be  provided. — A 
Dining-Hall  erected,  A.D.  1782. — Rev.  Samuel  Wales  elected  Professor  of  Divinity,  A.D.  1782. 
— Independence  of  the  American  Colonies  acknowledged  by  Great  Britain,  September  3,  A.D. 
1783. — Difficulties  of  the  College  not  yet  at  an  end. — Wide-spread  Feeling  of  Hostility  to  it  in 
the  State.— Efforts  of  President  Stiles  to  allay  the  Hostility. — His  Conference  with  Commit- 
tees of  the  Legislature. — At  last  he  is  successful. — Favorable  Report  of  the  Committee  of  the 
Legislature,  October,  1791. — Plan  of  Hon.  James  Hillhouse  to  raise  Money. — The  long  Es- 
trangement between  the  Legislature  and  the  College  brought  to  an  end. — Funds  of  the  College 
increased. — A  new  Dormitory  built. — It  is  called  Union  Hall. — Endowment  of  the  Professor- 
ship of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy. — Mr.  Josiah  Meigs  elected  to  fill  the  Chair,  A.D. 
1794. — Death  of  Professor  Wales. — Death  of  President  Stiles,  May  12,  1795. — The  extraor- 
dinary Difficulties  with  which  he  had  to  contend. — His  special  Claim  to  the  Gratitude  of  the 
Alumni.— His  reputation  as  a  Scholar.      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .102 


CHAPTER  IX.— Rev.  Timothy  Dwight,  D.D.,  President,  A.D.  1795-1817. 

General  Expectation  that  Rev.  Timothy  Dwight,  D.D.,  would  succeed  Dr.  Stiles  as  Presi- 
dent.— No  one  else  thought  of  by  the  Corporation. — Dr.  Dwight  inaugurated,  September  8, 
1795. — The  varied  Duties  which  he  at  once  assumed. — A  fortunate  Moment  when  he  came  to 
the  Presidency. — Plans  of  President  Dwight  for  the  Improvement  of  the  College. — Embar- 
rassed by  want  of  Funds. — His  Efforts  to  procure  an  additional  Grant  from  the  Legislature. — 
He  selects  three  of  the  recent  Graduates  to  assist  him  as  permanent  Professors. — Jeremiah 
Day. — Benjamin  Silliman. — James  L.  Kingsley. — Prosperity  of  the  College. — Plans  of  Dr. 
Dwight  for  its  material  Development. — The  whole  Front  of  the  College  Square  purchased. — 
Berkeley  Hall  (North  Middle)  erected. — Connecticut  Lyceum. — A  House  built  for  the  Presi- 
dent.— Additions  to  the  Library,  and  to  the  Philosophical  and  Chemical  Apparatus. — A  Collec- 
tion of  Minerals  purchased. — The  Gibbs'  Cabinet. — The  Laws  revised. — Old  Customs,  the 
Relics  of  a  barbarous  Age,  abolished. — Efforts  for  the  religious  Welfare  of  the  Students. — 
Riotous  Spirit  developed  among  the  Students.— Affrays  between  "  Town  and  Gown." — The 
Bully  Club. — President  Dvvight's  Plans  for  the  Establishment  of  Professional  Schools. — A 
Theological  School. — A  Medical  School. — Instruction  in  Law. — Illness. — Death.      .         .         .        112 


CHAPTER  X.— Rev.  Jeremiah  Day,  D.D.,  President,  A.D.  1817-1846. 

President  Dwight's  wishes  with  regard  to  his  Successor. — Rev.  Henry  Davis,  D.D.,  elected 
President. — He  declines. — Professor  Day  elected,  and  accepts. — Inaugurated,  July  23,  1817. — 
Mr.  Eleazar  T.  Fitch  elected  Professor  of  Divinity. — The  Rev.  Chauncey  A.  Goodrich  elected 
Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  Oratory. — Mr.  Alexander  M.  Fisher  elected  Professor  of  Mathematics 
and  Natural  Philosophy. — President  Day's  Views  with  regard  to  the  Administration  of  the  Col- 
lege.— Changes  in  Methods  of  Instruction  and  in  Discipline. — New  Commons  Hall,  erected 
A.D.  1819. — Chemical  Laboratory. — "  North  College,"  erected  A.D.  1821. — A  Theological  De- 
partment established,  A.D.  1822. — The  Rev.  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor  elected  "  Dwight  Professor 


CONTENTS.  xiii 


Page 


of  Didactic  Theology,"  A.D.  1822. — Professor  Josiah  W.  Gibbs. — Professor  Eleazar  T.  Fitch. 
— Professor  Chauncey  A.  Goodrich.— A  new  Chapel  built,  A.D.  1824. — A  Second  College 
("Washington,"  now  "Trinity")  established  in  Connecticut,  A.D.  1823. — Repeal  of  the  Act 
requiring  an  Assent  to  the  "  Saybrook  Platform." — Loss  of  Professor  Alexander  M.  Fisher  in 
the  "  Albion,"  A.D.  1822. — Purchase  of  the  "Gibbs  Cabinet,"  A.D.  1823. — The  Rev.  Matthew 
R.  Dutton  elected  Professor,  A.D.  1822. — His  Death,  A.D.  1825. — Professor  Denison  Olmsted. 
— Judge  Daggett  elected  Professor  of  Law,  A.D.  1826. — The  Law  School. — Death  of  Dr. 
Nathan  Smith. — Attempt  to  raise  the  Grade  of  Scholarship. — A  stricter  Discipline. — Adjust- 
ment of  the  College  Community  to  the  new  State  of  Things. — Objections  to  the  Study  of  the 
"  Dead  Languages." — President  Day's  Defense  of  the  existing  Course  of  Study. — He  states  its 
Object. — "Bread  and  Butter  Rebellion,"  A.D.  1828.— "Conic  Sections  Rebellion,"  A.D.  1830. 
— General  Religious  Interest  among  the  Students,  A.D.  1831. — "Taylorism." — "  Illinois  Asso- 
ciation."— The  $100,000  Fund. — Mr.  Theodore  D.  Woolsey  elected  Greek  Professor,  A.D. 
1831. — Paintings  of  Colonel  John  Trumbull. — The  "Trumbull  Gallery"  erected,  A.D.  1832. — 
Divinity  College  erected,  A.D.  1836. — Library  Building  erected,  A.D.  1844. — College  Maga- 
zines.— Secret  Societies. — Resignation  of  President  Day,  A.D.  1846.  .         .         .         .         .124 


CHAPTER  XL— Rev.  Theodore  D.  Woolsey,  D.D.,  President,  A.D.  1846-1871. 

Professor  Theodore  D.  Woolsey  chosen  President. — His  Inauguration. — His  special  Services 
as  President. — Introduction  of  a  broader  Culture. — Biennial  Examinations. — Freshman  Schol- 
arships.— Studies  of  Senior  Year. — Additions  to  the  Faculty. — Department  of  Philosophy  and 
the  Arts. — Sheffield  Scientific  School. — Mr.  Joseph  E.  Sheffield. — Theological  Department. — 
Medical  Department. — Law  Department. — School  of  the  Fine  Arts. — Mr.  Augustus  R.  Street. 
— Change  in  the  Corporation. — Resignation  of  President  Woolsey.    ......        147 


CHAPTER  XII.— Rev.  Noah  Porter,  D.D.,  President,  A.D.  187 1. 

Conservative  Character  of  the  College. — New  Buildings. — Additions  to  the  Corps  of  In- 
structors.— The  College  attains  the  Form  of  a  University. — The  Dream  of  John  Davenport  is 
realized.     .................        160 


THE    CORPORATION By  Leonard  Bacon. 

Charter  of  1701. — The  Founders  incorporated,  and  they  and  their  Successors  made  Trustees. 
— Proceedings  under  the  Charter. — Hiatus  in  the  Records. — Conflict  among  the  Trustees. — 
Hartford  Schism,  and  Wethersfield  Cave  of  Adullam. — Reconciliation. — Act  of  1723  in  Expla- 
nation and  Amendment  of  the  Charter. — Difficulty  in  obtaining  a  Successor  to  Rector  Cutler. 
— Attempts  to  remove  obnoxious  Members  from  the  Board. — Joseph  Noyes. — Charter  of  1745. 
— Elizur  Goodrich. — Charter  modified  in  1792. — The  Six  Senior  Senators  superseded  by  Six 
elected  Graduates  in  1872.        .............        163 


THE    LIBRARY By  Addison  Van  Name. 

History  during  the  last  Century. — Contributions  to  the  Library  Fund. — Other  noteworthy 
Gifts  in  Books  or  Money. — Statistics  of  Growth. — Library  Building. — Librarians. — Society 
Libraries. 184 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

THE   TREASURY By  Henry  C.  Kingsley. 


Page 


The  Treasurers,  1 701-183 2. — Gifts  of  Money  from  the  State  of  Connecticut,  1 701-1830. — 
Gifts  of  Money  from  Individuals,  1701-1830. — Gifts  of  Land,  1701-1830. — Financial  Con- 
dition of  the  College  in  1830. — Growth  of  the  Funds,  1833  to  1852. — Growth  of  the  Funds, 
1852  to  1862. — Growth  of  the  Funds  since  1862. — Present  Condition. — New  Buildings. — 
Treasury  Building 190 

THE   COLLEGE    GREEN By  Henry  White. 

Original  Allotment  of  the  College  Square,  A.D.  1639. — The  Joshua  Atwater  Lot  obtained  for 
the  College,  A.D.  17 16. —Purchase  of  Portions  of  the  Cockerell  and  Constable  Lots,  A.D.  1745. 
— Enlargement  of  the  College  Grounds,  A.D.  1783.— Opening  of  High  Street,  A.D.  1790. — 
The  whole  East  Front  of  the  College  Green  secured,  A.D.  1800. — The  final  Purchase  made, 
A.D.  1858 199 

BIOGRAPHICAL    NOTICES    OF    DECEASED    PROFESSORS. 

Benjamin  Silliman,  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Pharmacy,  Mineralogy,  and 

Geology.     .  ....         By  Arthur  W.  Wright. 

Birth  and  early  Education. — Entrance  to  Yale  College. — Graduation. — Legal  Studies. — Ap- 
pointment to  Tutorship. — Appointment  to  Professorship  of  Chemistry  and  Natural  History. — 
Residence  in  Philadelphia.— First  Lecture. — Lecture  Room  and  Laboratory. — Broken-necked 
Retorts. — Appropriation  of  Ten  Thousand  Dollars  for  Apparatus  and  Books. — Voyage  to 
Europe. — Residence  and  Studies  in  Edinburgh. — Journal  of  Travels. — Weston  Meteorite. — - 
Beginning  of  Mineral  Collection. — Purchase  of  the  Perkins  Cabinet. — Secures  deposit  of  the 
Gibbs  Cabinet. — Organization  of  Medical  Department. — Appointment  to  Professorship  of 
Chemistry  and  Pharmacy  therein. — Accident. — Founds  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and 
Arts. — Tour  to  Canada  and  published  Journal. — Experiments  with  the  Deflagrator. — Purchase 
of  the  Gibbs  Cabinet. — Proposes  Plan  of  a  Scientific  School. — Establishment  of  the  Same. — 
Second  Journey  to  Europe,  and  published  Account. — Resignation  of  Professorship. — Close  of 
his  Life. — His  College  Work. — Popular  Scientific  Lectures. — Character  as  a  Scientific  Man. — 
Personal  Characteristics.  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .210 

James  L.   Kingsley,  Professor  of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature. 

By  Daniel  C.  Gilman. 

Selected  by  President  Dwight  to  be  Professor  of  Languages. — A  Typical  New  England 
Scholar. — Prominent  Events  of  his  Life. — Personal  Reminiscences  of  the  Writer. — Chief 
Representative  of  the  Study  of  the  Humanities  in  the  College. — Dr.  Woolsey's  Estimate. — A 
truly  Academical  Man.     ..............       224 

Alexander  Metcalf  Fisher,  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural 

Philosophy. By  Hubert  A.  Newton. 

Short  Period  of  Service  as  a  College  Officer. — Contributions  to  various  Periodicals. — 
"Journey  to  Jupiter." — Reviews. — Mathematical  Papers. — Printing  Press. — Paper  on  "Mu- 
sical Temperament." — Estimates  of  his  Character  by  Professors  Silliman,  Kingsley,  and 
Olmsted.  ................       229 


232 


CONTENTS.  xv 

Denison  Olmsted,  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy  and  Astronomy. 

By  Chester  S.   Lyman. 

Page 

Professor  Olmsted's  recognized  Position. — Grounds  of  his  Reputation. — By  Nature  a 
Teacher. — Influences  that  moulded  Him. — Preparation  for  College. — Admiration  for  President 
Dvvight. — Tutor  in  College. — Studies  Theology  with  Dr.  Dwight. — Acts  as  his  Amanuensis. — 
Accepts  a  Professorship  in  North  Carolina. — Prepares  for  it  with  Professor  Silliman. — Success 
at  Chapel  Hill. — Elected  Professor  at  Yale. — Disadvantages  of  the  Change. — Meets  with 
Success. — Labors  at  New  Haven. — Character  as  a  Teacher. — Change  in  Professorship. — Prepa- 
ration of  Text-books. — Their  Success. — Courses  of  Lectures. — Interest  in  Public  Education. 
— Efforts  for  its  Improvement. — His  Labors  for  Science. — Makes  a  Geological  Survey  of 
North  Carolina. — Scientific  Work  at  New  Haven. — His  Theory  of  Hail-storms. — Connection 
with  Redfield's  Theory  of  Storms. — Views  respecting  Auroras  and  the  Zodiacal  Light. — His 
Theory  of  Shooting  Stars. — Relation  of  his  Labors  to  those  of  Professor  Twining. — They  estab- 
lish the  true  Theory. — Not  anticipated  by  Chladni. — His  Efforts  to  establish  an  Observatory. 
— His  Character  as  a  Man  and  Citizen. — Connecticut  Parentage  and  early  Training. — Do- 
mestic Life. — Christian  Character. — Influence  on  his  Pupils  who  became  Astronomers  or 
Physicists  :  Elias  Loomis,  F.  A.  P.  Barnard,  William  Chauvenet,  J.  S.  Hubbard,  D.  T.  Stod- 
dard, Francis  Bradley,  E.  C.  Herrick,  H.  L.  Smith,  E.  P.  Mason. — Mason's  Genius  and 
Work 

William  A.   Larned,  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  English  Literature. 

By  Henry  N.  Day. 

His  Parentage. — Leading  Incidents  in  his  Life.— Estimate  of  his  Character  as  a  Man  and  as 
an  Officer  in  College. — Special  Characteristics  of  his  Labors  as  Teacher  of  Rhetoric — Com- 
parative Results  of  his  Methods  on  the  System  of  Rhetorical  Instruction  in  the  College.  .         .       250 

Anthony  D.   Stanley,  Professor  of  Mathematics.     .         .         By  Elias  Loomis. 

His  Birth. — Early   Education. — College   Course. — Indications    of    Mathematical   Talent. — 
Elected  Tutor  in  Yale  College. — Elected  Professor  of  Mathematics. — Publication  of  Logarith- 
mic Tables  and  Treatise  on  Spherical  Geometry. — -Failure  of  his  Health. — His  Death. — Char 
acteristic  Traits. — Estimate  of  his  Scientific  Abilities.       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .254 

James  Hadley,  Professor  of  the  Greek  Language  and  Literature. 

By  William  D.  Whitney. 

Professor  Hadley's  wide-reaching  Activity  and  Influence  as  a  Greek  Scholar. — His  Recita- 
tion-room Work,  described  by  Professor  Packard. — His  Law  Studies  and  Lectures. — His  Pecu- 
liar Gifts  and  Capacities. — Early  Record  of  his  Studies. — Sketch  of  his  Life. — His  Work  as  a 
College  Officer,  described  by  President  Porter. — Notice  of  some  of  his  Works. — His  Character 
as  a  Man. .257 

THE    CHAPEL By  I.  N.  Tarbox. 

First  Chapel  Built,  A.D.  1763. — Outline  of  previous  College  History. — Rector  Clap  Inaugu- 
rated, A.D.  1740. — Religious  Excitement  in  connection  with  Whitefield's  First  Visit. — Profes- 
sor George  P.  Fisher's  Sermon. — John  Cleaveland's  Diary. — Professor  Naphtali  Daggett. — 
Separate  Worship  of  the  Students. — College  Church  Organized,  A.D.  1757. — Uses  of  the 
Chapel. — Dr.  Daggett  President  and  Preacher. — Presidency  of  Dr.  Ezra  Stiles,  A.D.  1777-1795. 


xvi  CONTENTS. 


Pack 


— Dr.  Samuel  Wales  Professor  of  Divinity  and  Preacher. — Characteristics  of  President  Stiles 
and  of  Professor  Wales. — Dr.  Timothy  Dwight,  A.D.  1795,  President  of  College  and  Profes- 
sor of  Divinity. — Dr.  Dwight's  Power  in  the  Pulpit. — Incidents  of  his  Administration. — Death 
of  President  Dwight. — Narrative  of  Dr.  Willard  Child. — Dr.  Jeremiah  Day,  A.D.  1817-1846. 
— Dr.  Eleazar  T.  Fitch,  Professor  of  Divinity,  A.D.  1817-1852. — The  Age  of  long  Profes- 
sorships :  Professor  Benjamin  Silliman,  Professor  James  L.  Kingsley,  Professor  Chauncey  A. 
Goodrich,  D.D.,  Professor  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor,  D.D.— Second  Chapel  built,  A.D.  1824.— Dr. 
Fitch  as  a  Preacher. — Characteristics  of  President  Day. — College  Singing. — The  Beethoven 
Society. — The  Christmas  Anthem. — Personal  Reminiscences. — The  New  Chapel. — Contrasts.       264 

THE    BATTELL    CHAPEL By  William  L.   Kingsley. 

The  Gift  of  Mr.  Joseph  Battell. — The  Place  of  the  Battell  Chapel  in  the  Quadrangle. — 
Description  of  its  Exterior. — Description  of  its  Interior. — Its  Memorial  Character. — The 
Memorial  Inscriptions. 287 

COMMONS By  Daniel  Butler. 

Views  of  the  Founders  of  the  College  respecting  "  Commons." — The  first  Dining  Hall. — 
Early  Complaints.— Bill  of  Fare,  A.D.  1742.— The  Buttery.— "  Rules  "  of  A.D.  1762.— Diffi- 
culties of  obtaining  Food  during  the  Revolutionary  War. — Students  Dismissed  to  their  Homes, 
A.D.  1776. — New  Dining  Hall  built,  A.D.  1782. — Another  built,  A.D.  1819. — Difficulties  in 
the  Management. — Rebellion  of  A.D.  1828. — Commons  Abolished,  A.D.  1841.         .         .         .       297 

THE  LITERARY  SOCIETIES By  Edward  B.  Coe. 

Traditions. — Purpose  and  Value. — Founding  of  Linonia. — The  Critonian  Society. — Earliest 
Linonian  Records. — Questions  and  Answers. — Debates  and  their  Subjects. — Exhibitions  and 
the  Drama. — Linonia  during  the  Revolution. — Internal  Discord. — The  Brothers  in  Unity. — 
The  Legend  of  David  Humphreys. — The  Constitution. — Questions  Settled. — Original  Dia- 
logues.— History  since  1800. — The  Calliopean  Society. — Prize  Debates. — The  Campaign. — 
The  Libraries. — Dissolution.     . 307 

THE  PHI   BETA  KAPPA  SOCIETY.   ...  By  Lewis  R.  Packard. 

The  Origin  of  the  Society  in  Virginia,  and  Transfer  to  New  England. — Scheme  of  Union  of 
Chapters  through  the  Country. — The  Yale  Chapter. — Attacks  upon  its  Archives. — Questions 
Debated. — Orations  and  Toasts. — Decline  of  Interest  in  the  Meetings. — Survival  of  the  Public 
Exercises. — List  of  Orators  and  Poets.      ...........       324 

CONNECTICUT  ACADEMY  OF  ARTS  AND  SCIENCES. 

By  Elias  Loomis. 

Efforts  made  by  President  Stiles  to  organize  an  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Connecticut. — Ob- 
stacles encountered. — Charter  refused  by  the  General  Assembly. — A  Society  organized  in 
1786. — Its  Plan  of  Operations. — Its  partial  Success. — The  Connecticut  Academy  organized  in 
1799,  and  obtained  a  Charter. — Objects  proposed. — Its  Publications. — Transactions  published 
since  1866. — Meteorological  Journal. — Efforts  to  promote  Geology. — Effort  to  obtain  a  Topo- 
graphical Survey  of  the  State. — Officers  of  the  Academy. — Its  Meetings. — Members,  etc.         .       329 


CONTENTS.  xvii 

COLLEGE  MAGAZINES By  Franklin  Carter. 

Pace 

Literary  Cabinet. — Athenaeum.— Letter  from  Rev.  Dr.  Withington. — Miseries  of  College 
Life. — Microscope. — Its  Contributors. — The  Poet  Percival. — Professor  Alexander  M.  Fisher. 
— Aerial  Voyage  of  Captain  Gulliver. — Yale  Crayon. — Sitting  Room. — Student's  Companion. 
— Its  Editor. — David  Francis  Bacon. — Its  Plan  and  Cleverness. — Little  Gentleman. — The 
Gridiron. — The  Medley. — Yale  Literary  Magazine. — Its  Origin. — William  T.  Bacon's  Interest 
in  the  Enterprise. — Its  External  Features. — Its  first  Editors. — A  fair  Exponent  of  the  College 
Training. — Its  Scholarship. — Election  to  Editorship  in  later  years. — Quotation  from  Hon. 
William  M.  Evarts'  Valedictory  for  the  first  Board.— The  Yale  Literary  Medal. — DeForest 
Orations. — Hon.  F.  J.  Kingsbury's  Mathematical  Love-Song. — The  Pecuniary  Success  of  the 
Yale  Literary. — Its  Epilegomena. — Its  Honorable  Career. — University  Quarterly. — Newspa- 
pers.— Yale  Banner. — The  Ephemerals  numerous.— Yale  Courant. — College  Courant. — Yale 
Record 338 

PRESENTATION   DAY By  Henry  A.   Beers. 

Origin  of  the  Name. — The  Formalities  observed. — Their  Disuse  in  Modern  Times. — At 
present  simply  a  Valedictory  Occasion. — Character  of  the  Exercises. — The  Planting  of  the 
Ivy. — The  Parting  Ode.   ..............       361 

COMMENCEMENT By  Cyrus  Northrop. 

First  Commencements  private,  and  held  at  Saybrook. — Faculty  and  Students  absent  in  Term 
Time. — The  First  Diploma. — Splendid  Commencement  at  New  Haven  in  17 18. — Failure  of 
Commencements  at  Wethersfield. — Public  and  Private  Commencements. — Disorders  at  Com- 
mencement from  1735  to  1765. — Reform  Measures  of  the  Corporation. — The  Day  for  holding 
Commencement. — The  Literary  Exercises. — Number  of  Speakers. — One  Session  substituted 
for  Two. — The  Commencement  Dinner. — A  Return  to  the  Old  Customs. — Music. — Place  of 
holding  Commencement.— Ladies  and  Gentlemen  Separated.— Interest  in  the  Day.   .        .  366 

HISTORIC  CONNECTION    OF   THE    COLLEGE   WITH   THE    FIRST 
CHURCH  IN  NEW  HAVEN By  Leonard  Bacon 

Commencements  and  Inaugurations  in  the  Center  Church.—"  Mr.  Davenport's  Company  " 
planning  for  a  Commercial  City,  with  a  College.— Mr.  Pierpont  among  the  Founders.— Mrs. 
Coster's  Lot  and  Mr.  Hooke's  Lot  sold  to  the  College  by  the  Church.— The  College  at  first  a 
Part  of  the  Parish.— The  successive  Meeting-houses.— The  Pastors  of  the  First  Church  as 
related  to  the  College.— The  College  Treasurers  as  related  to  the  Church 37<> 

THE  SOCIETY  OF  ALUMNI By  George  E.   Day. 

Origin  and  History  of  the  Society.— Proceedings  at  the  Annual  Meeting.— Obituary  Record 
of  Deceased  Alumni.— Printed  Statement  of  the  Condition  of  the  University.— The  Bust  of 
President  Day.— The  Woolsey  Fund.— Orators  before  the  Society.— The  Triennial  Catalogue. 
—Class  Records 3Sl 


xviii  CONTENTS. 

MENTAL  AND  MORAL  SCIENCE  IN  YALE  COLLEGE.  PAOE 

By  Noah  Porter.  387 

PHYSICIANS  AMONG  YALE  GRADUATES.        .        By  Henry  Bronson.  392 

LAWYERS  AMONG  YALE    GRADUATES.       .       By  Simeon  E.  Baldwin.  395 

INVENTORS  AND  PROMOTERS  OF  IMPORTANT   PUBLIC    INTER- 
ESTS AMONG  YALE  GRADUATES.        .         By  Benjamin  Silliman.  401 


YALE  THE  MOTHER  OF  COLLEGES.      .         .         By  Aaron  L.  Ciiapin. 


411 


PREACHERS  AND  THEOLOGIANS  AMONG  YALE   GRADUATES. 

By  Noah  Porter.  415 

BIOGRAPHICAL     SKETCHES     OF     THE     PROFESSORS     IN     THE 
ACADEMICAL     DEPARTMENT. 

Elias  Loom  is,  Munson  Professor  of ATatural  Philosophy  and  A stronomy.  .  .  420 

James  Dwight  Dana,  Sillimau  Professor  of  Geology  and  Mineralogy.       .  .  423 

Thomas  Anthony  Thachek,  Professor  of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature.  425 

Hubert  Anson  Newton,  Professor  of  Mathematics.  .....  426 

Lewis  Richard  Packard,  Hillhonsc  Professor  of  the  Greek  Language  and 

Literature.     .............  428 

Cyrus  Northrop,  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  English  Literature.        .         .         .  429 

Arthur  Martin  Wheeler,  Professor  of  History.       ......  430 

Arthur  Williams  Wright,  Professor  of  Molecular  Physics  and  Chemistry.        .  431 

William  McLeod  Barbour,  Chittenden  Professor  of  Divinity.  .         .         .  433 

Eugene  Lamb  Richards,  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics.  .         .         .  434 


CONTENTS. 


XIX 

Page 


Franklin  Bowditch  Dexter,  Professor  of  American  History.            .  .435 

Edward  Benton  Coe,  Street  Professor  of  Modern  Languages.            .  .  .436 

Franklin  Carter,  Professor  of  the  German  Language  and  Literature.  .  .      437 

William  Graham  Sumner,  Professor  of  Political  and  Social  Science.  .  .      438 

Henry   Parks  Wright,    Dunham  Professor  of  the  Latin  Language    and 

Literature.  ............      439 

Henry  Augustin  Beers,  Assistant  Professor  of  English  Literature.  .         .      440 

SOUTH    MIDDLE.  ....         By  Frederick  J.  Kingsbury. 

A  New  "College  House"  needed. — Lottery  Granted. — Building  Dedicated  and  Named 
"Connecticut  Hall." — Mr.  Baldwin's  Diary. — The  College  Butler. — His  Office  and  Duties. — 
Some  Butler's  Accounts. — Student  Life  then  and  now 441 

THE    ATHEN^UM By  William  L.   Kingsley. 

Built  as  a  Chapel  in  1763. — Alterations  in  1803. — After  the  Erection  of  a  new  Chapel  in 
1824,  called  the  Athenaeum. — Recitation  Rooms. — Society  Libraries. — A  Tower  added  in 
1829. — Observatory. — A  Revolving  Cylindrical  Dome  added  in  1870.        .         .         .         .         .451 

THE    LABORATORY By  Arthur  W.  Wright. 

Origin  of  the  Laboratory  Building. — Extracts  from  Diary  of  President  Stiles. — Designed  for 
College  Commons. — First  Chemical  Laboratory. — Transfer  of  Chemical  Department  to  present 
Building. — Enlargement  of  the  Structure. — Subsequent  Changes. — Apparatus. — Great  Voltaic 
Battery. — Apparatus  of  Historic  Interest. — Scientific  and  Educational  Results.         .         .         .       453 

SOUTH    COLLEGE By  John  D.  Champlin,  Jr. 

Speech  of  President  Stiles  at  the  laying  of  the  Corner-stone. — The  "  Band  "  of  the  Class  of 
1856. — A  Pistol  Shot. — Co-ca-che-lunk. — The  Fence. — The  Riot  of  1855 457 

THE    PRESIDENT'S    HOUSE.         ...         By  William  L.  Kingsley. 

A  new  House  needed  for  the  President. — Erected  A.D.  1800. — Dr.  Dwight. — Dr.  Day. — 
Dr.  Woolsey. — The  Scientific  School.        ...........       463 


xx  CONTENTS. 

THE    LYCEUM By  William  L.  Kingsley. 

Pac.f 

A  Building  needed  for  Recitation  Rooms. — The  Lyceum. — Theological  Chamber. — Rhetori- 
cal Chamber. — Clock. — Bell. — Bulletin  Board.  .........       465 

NORTH    MIDDLE By  John  P.  Peters. 

Vote  of  the  Corporation,  November  4,  1800. — Description  of  North  Middle. — Named 
"Berkeley  Hall." — Distinguished  Occupants. — Peculiar  Customs. — Anecdote.  .         .         .       468 

THE    PHILOSOPHICAL    BUILDING.    .         .         By  William  L.  Kingsley.      472 
NORTH    COLLEGE By  Wolcott  Calkins. 

A  Chapter  of  Reminiscences. — Hon.  O.  S.  Seymour,  Class  of  1824. — Hon.  William  G.  Bates, 
Class  of  1825. — Hon.  William  Strong,  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  Class  of  1828. — 
Mr.  Rollin  Sanford,  Class  of  1 831. —Mr.  W.  T.  Bacon,  Class  of  1837.— Rev.  Thomas  C.  Pit- 
kin, D.D.,  Class  of  1836. — Hon.  Edwards  Pierrepont,  Class  of  1837. — Professor  Jacob  Cooper, 
Class  of  1852. — Rev.  Isaac  Riley,  Class  of  1857.       .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .       474 

THE    CHAPEL    OF    1824 By  William  L.  Kingsley. 

A  new  Chapel  Built  in  1824.— Votes  of  the  Corporation. — Rooms  for  Theological  Students. 
— Library. — Prayers.         ..............       485 

GRADUATES    HALL By  William  L.  Kingsley. 

A  large  Room  needed  for  the  Biennial  Examinations. — The  Literary  Societies  take  measures 
to  erect  Halls. — Plan  of  erecting  a  Single  Building  instead. — Graduates  Hall  built  in  1853. — 
Arrangement  of  its  Rooms.        .............       488 

FARNAM    COLLEGE.  ......         By  Noah  Porter.      490 

DURFEE    COLLEGE By  Arthur  M.  Wheeler.      493 

EDWARD    CLAUDIUS    HERRICK By  Noah  Porter. 

Librarian,  1843-1858. — Treasurer,  1852-1862 498 

APPENDIX 502 


CONTENTS. 


XXI 


APPENDIX. 


Pack 

Valedictorians 502 

Salutatorians.      ...............  502 

DeForest  Oration  and  Townsend  Essays.         .........  503 

Recipients  of  Junior  Exhibition  Prize 504 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


HELIOTYPES. 


THE    "OLD    BRICK   ROW" Frontispiece 

(From  the  south.)  Page 

REV.    JOHN    DAVENPORT 2 

(From  a  portrait  in  the  possession  of  the  college,  taken  the  year  of  his  death.     Artist  unknown.) 

NEW  HAVEN    GREEN 4 

(From  the  northeast.) 

HOPKINS    GRAMMAR    SCHOOL ■ 7 

JUDGES*    CAVE,  WEST    ROCK •         .         .  9 

REV.   JAMES    PIERPONT 13 

(From  a  portrait  painted  in  Boston,  in  1711,  now  in  possession  of  the  Misses  Foster,  of  New  Haven.  Artist 
unknown.) 

MONUMENT    AT    CLINTON    [KENILWORTH] .27 

(Commemorating  the  spot  where  the  earliest  Senior  Classes  were  taught  by  Rector  Pierson,  A.D.  1701-1707.) 

STATUE    OF    RECTOR    PIERSON 29 

(College  Green.) 

GOVERNOR  GURDON  SALTONSTALL 33 

(From  a  portrait  in  the  possession  of  the  college.     Artist  unknown.) 

GOVERNOR    ELIHU    YALE 37 

(From  a  portrait  in  the  possession  of  the  college,  by  E.  Seeman,  A.D.  1717.) 

YALE    COLLEGE  45 

(From  an  engraving  made  between  A.D.  1742  and  1750,  by  James  Buck.) 

RECTOR   TIMOTHY    CUTLER  49 

(From  a  portrait  in  possession  of  the  college.     Artist  unknown  ) 

ST.    GILES;    WITH    CHURCH-YARD    AND    TOMB    OF    GOVERNOR    ELIHU    YALE, 

WREXHAM    (NORTH    WALES) 51 

RECTOR   WILLIAMS 56 

(From  a  copy  in  the  possession  of  the  college,  by  Moulthrop,  A.D.  1795,  after  an  original  portrait  by  Smybert.) 

DEAN    BERKELEY'S    FAMILY 58 

(From  a  painting  by  Smybert,  in  the  possession  of  the  college.  The  principal  figure  is  the  Dean,  in  his  clerical 
habit.  The  lady  with  the  child  is  his  wife  ;  the  other  lady  is  Miss  Handcock,  who  accompanied  her  to 
America.  The  gentleman  writing  at  the  table  is  Sir  James  Dalton.  The  gentleman  standing  behind  the 
ladies  is  Mr.  James.  The  other  gentleman  in  brown  is  Mr.  John  Moffat,  a  friend  of  the  artist.  The 
remaining  figure  is  the  artist  Smybert.  The  Dean  is  resting  his  hand  on  a  copy  of  Plato,  his  favorite 
author,  and  appears  to  be  dictating  to  Sir  James,  who  is  acting  as  amanuensis.) 

xxiii 


XXIV 


YALE   COLLEGE. 


,  SHOWING  THE  DATES  OF 


ACQUIRING 


DEAN    BERKELEY'S    HOUSE    AT    NEWPORT,  RHODE    ISLAND 
(Photographed  June,  1877.) 

THE    PRINCIPAL    ROOM    IN    DEAN    BERKELEY'S    HOUSE      . 
(Photographed  June,  [877.) 

A    PLAN    OF    THE    TOWN    OF    NEW   HAVEN,  A.D.   1748     . 

PRESIDENT    STILES  

(From  a  painting  by  Moulthrop,  in  the  possession  of  the  college.) 

PRESIDENT    DWIGHT 

(From  a  painting  by  Colonel  Trumbull,  in  the  possession  of  the  college.) 

BUST    OF    PRESIDENT    DAY 

(By  Chauncey  B.  Ives,  in  the  possession  of  the  college.) 

PRESIDENT   WOOLSEY 

(From  a  portrait  by  George  A.  Baker,  N.A.      In  the  possession  of  the  college.) 

TEMPLE    STREET 

TEMPLE    STREET    IN    WINTER 

PRESIDENT    PORTER 

HILLHOUSE   AVENUE 

ANCIENT    DIPLOMAS 

THE    LIBRARY      .... 

MAIN    HALL    IN    THE    LIBRARY 

TREASURY    BUILDING 

PLOT    OF  THE  COLLEGE  SQUARE 

TITLE.     A.D.  1877 
BENJAMIN    SILLIMAN 

(From  an  ambrotype.) 

JAMES    LUCE    KINGSLEY 

(From  a  photograph.) 

ALEXANDER    METCALF    FISHER 

(From  a  painting  by  S.  F.  B.  Morse,  President  N.A.     In  the  possession  of  the  college 

DENISON    OLMSTED 

(From  a  photograph.) 

WILLIAM    A.    LARNED 

(From  a  painting  by  D.  Huntington,  President  N.A.,  A.D.  1847.      In  the  possession  o 

ANTHONY   D.   STANLEY     .... 

(From  a  painting  in  the  possession  of  the  college.) 

JAMES    HADLEY 

(From  a  photograph.) 

A  FRONT  VIEW  OF  YALE  COLLEGE  AND  THE  COLLEGE  CHAPEL,  A.D.  1786 

BATTELL  CHAPEL   

INTERIOR  OF  BATTELL  CHAPEL    

JOSEPH  BATTELL   

(From  a  crayon  sketch  by  J.  N.  Niemeyer.) 

THE    FIRST    CHURCH,  NEW    HAVEN 

MEMORIAL   TABLET,  FIRST    CHURCH,  NEW    HAVEN      . 
JONATHAN    EDWARDS        

(From  a  copy  of  an  original  painting  by  Smybert,  in  the  possession  of  Mme.  Moreau.) 

ELIAS    LOOMIS      .... 
JAMES    D.    DANA 
THOMAS    A.    THACHER      . 


f  the  college.) 


THE 


Page 

60 

62 

77 
102 


124 

147 

149 

151 
160 
162 

163 
184 
187 
190 

199 

210 

224 
229 

232 
250 
254 
257 

264 
287 
289 
296 

376 

378 
387 

420 
423 
425 


ILL  USTRA  TIONS. 


XXV 


HUBERT    A.    NEWTON 

LEWIS    R.    PACKARD   . 

CYRUS    NORTHROP     . 

ARTHUR    M.    WHEELER 

ARTHUR    W.    WRIGHT 

WILLIAM    M.    BARBOUR 

EUGENE    L.    RICHARDS 

FRANKLIN    B.    DEXTER 

EDWARD    B.    COE 

FRANKLIN    CARTER    . 

WILLIAM    G.    SUMNER 

HENRY    P.  WRIGHT     . 

HENRY    A.    BEERS 

COLLEGE    GREEN,  WITH    LOCATION    OF    BUILDINGS     . 

LABORATORY        

STUDENT'S    ROOM    IN    SOUTH    COLLEGE 
THE    PRESIDENT'S    HOUSE,  A.D.   1800-1846 

THE    PHILOSOPHICAL    BUILDING 

NORTH    COLLEGE . 

GRADUATES'   HALL 

EXAMINATION    ROOM,  GRADUATES'    HALL 

NORTHEAST   CORNER   OF   THE    QUADRANGLE,    BATTELL 

NAM    COLLEGE 
HENRY    FARNAM 

(From  a  portrait  by  George  A.  Baker,  N.A.     In  the  possession  of  the  college.) 

DURFEE    COLLEGE      . 
B.    M.    C.    DURFEE 

(From  a  portrait  by  Cabanel,  in  possession  of  Mrs.  Durfee,  Fall  River.) 

STUDENT'S    ROOM,  DURFEE    COLLEGE 

EDWARD    C.    HERRICK 

(From  a  medallion  in  marble  by  E.  D.  Palmer.) 


CHAPEL,    AND 


FAR- 


Page 
426 
428 
429 
430 
431 

433 
434 
435 
436 
437 
438 

439 
440 
441 
453 
457 
463 
472 

474 
488 
489 

490 
492 

493 
495 

497 
498 


WOODCUTS      AND      OTHER      SMALL      ILLUSTRATIONS 

Commemorative  Medal.     New  Haven,  1638-1838 

Arms  of  the  Davenport  Family 

Davenport  Place,  New  Haven       ....... 

Autograph  of  John  Davenport      ....... 

House  of  Rev.  Samuel  Russel  (Branford),  in  which  the  College  was  Founded,  A.D. 
Congregational  Meeting-House,  Kenilworth,  Built  A.D.  1700 

Rector  Pierson's  Chair 

Arms  of  Governor  Yale  ........ 

House  of  Governor  Saltonstall,  East  Haven,  Built  A.D.  1708 

(From  a  sketch  by  Joline  B.  Smith,  A.D.  187S.) 

Rector's  House,  Built  A.D.  1722 

Episcopal  Seal  of  Dr.  Berkeley,  Bishop  of  Cloyne 

(Copied  from  the  Memorial  Window  in  Battell  Chapel  ) 

Connecticut  Hall,  Built  A.D.  1752.     [South  Middle] 


1700. 


Page 
I 


10 
I  I 
26 
29 
31 


49 

56 

63 


XXVI 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


Chapel,  Built  A.D.  1763.     [Athenaeum] 
Monument  of  President  Clap,  Grove-Street  Cemetery 
House  of  the  Professor  of  Divinity,  Built  A.D.  1758 
Seal  of  the  State  of  Connecticut        .... 
Union  Hall,  Built  A.D.  1794.     [South  College] 
Monument  of  President  Stiles,  Grove-Street  Cemetery 
Berkeley  Hall  and  Lyceum,  Built  A.D.  1804 
Monument  of  President  Dwight,  Grove-Street  Cemetery 

Library 

Trumbull  Gallery 

Divinity  College,  Built  A.D.  1836 

Monument  of  President  Day,  Grove-Street  Cemetery 

Sheffield  Hall 

East  Divinity  Hall 

Medical  College 

Farnam  College 

Durfee  College 

Battell  Chapel 

Art  School 

Peabody  Museum 

The  College  Seal 

Commons  Hall 

Badge  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society 

Vignette  on  the  Cover  of  the  "Yale  Literary  Magazine  ' 

Presentation  Day 

Planting  the  Ivy 

Class  Historian 

The  Telegraph.     Invention  of  S.  F.  B.  Morse 

The  Fence 

The  Pump     ..... 
Going  to  Prayers  in  the  Olden  Time 
Coming  from  Prayers 


Pack 
89 

93 

94 

101 

102 

11 1 

1 12 
123 
124 
142 

J43 
146 

147 
154 
156 
158 
159 
160 
161 
162 
163 
297 
324 
338 
362 

364 
365 
400 

457 
462 

485 
486 


A     SKETCH 


OF    THE 


HISTORY    OF    YALE    COLLEGE. 


BY 


WILLIAM    L.    KINGSLEY. 


COMMEMORATIVE  MEDAL.      QUINNIPIACK,  1638 — NEW    HAVEN,  1838. 


HISTORICAL     SKETCH 


CHAPTER    I. 

EARLY  EFFORTS  OF  THE  NEW  HAVEN  COLONISTS  TO  FOUND  A   COLLEGE. 

New  Haven  designed  to  be  a  College  Town  from  the  first. — The  Rev.  John  Davenport,  Vicar 
of  St.  Stephen's,  Coleman  Street,  London. — Incurs  the  displeasure  of  Laud. — Flies  to  Hol- 
land.— Conceives  the  idea  of  founding  in  the  New  World  an  independent  Christian  State. — 
Interests  his  old  parishioners  in  Coleman  Street. — They  form  a  Company.  —  Land  in  New 
Haven,  June,  1638.  —  The  ideas  of  the  Colonists  respecting  Education.  —  Ezekiel  Cheever. — 
What  was  done  for  the  Higher  Education.  —  Financial  failure  of  the  Colony.  —  First  definite 
action  with  regard  to  a  College,  1647. — Action  of  the  General  Court  in  1652.  —  Subsequent 
action,  1652. — Governor  Eaton's  bequest  of  books. — Governor  Hopkins's  bequest. — Action  taken 
in  1660.  —  Instruction  commenced.  —  Difficulties.  —  New  Haven  annexed  to  Connecticut.  —  Indian 
war. —  Sir  Edmund  Andros.  —  Results  in  1700.  —  Love  of  learning  established  among  the  people. 
— The  Hopkins  Grammar  School  founded.  —  One  in  ten  of  the  graduates  of  Harvard  from 
New  Haven. — The  way  prepared  for  a  College. 


The  ancient  school  of  learning,  with  its  seven  faculties  of  instruction,  which  is 
known  as  Yale  College,  was  founded,  according  to  the  statement  which  has  usually 
been  made  by  those  who  have  written  its  history,  in  the  year  1 700.  What  was  done 
at  that  time,  however,  is  to  be  regarded  rather  as  the  consummation  of  efforts  which  had 
been  repeatedly  made  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  same  end,  during  a  period  of  more 
than  fifty  years.  A  college  was  one  of  the  institutions  which  the  Rev.  John  Daven- 
port, the  leader  of  the  colony  which  was  planted  in  New  Haven,  a.  d.  1638,  deemed 
essential  to  that  idea  of  a  Christian  State,  which  he  had  formed  before  he  left  his  native 
land,  and  to  establish  which  he  came  to  the  wilderness  of  this  New  World.  It  was  a 
part  of  his  plan,  from  the  first,  that  New  Haven  should  be  a  college  town;  and  to 
secure  this  result,  his  labors  for  many  years  were  persistent  and  unwearied.  No  ad- 
equate history  of  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  founding  of  the  "collegiate 
school"  in  1700  can  be  written  without  mention  of  his  name,  and  without  a  distinct 
recognition  of  the  important  services  which  were  rendered  by  him  at  that  earlier  period 


vol.  1. —  I 


2  YALE  COLLEGE. 

for  the  advancement  of  the  higher  education.  The  tradition  of  his  efforts  never  faded 
from  the  minds  of  those  who  succeeded  him,  and  led  at  last  to  the  carrying  out  of  his 
original  design. 

John  Davenport  was  born  a.  d.  1597,  in  England,  in  the  city  of  Coventry,  in  which 
his  grandfather  and  his  great-uncle  had  each  held  the  office  of 
mayor.  The  family  from  which  he  was  descended  had  long  been 
held  in  high  repute,  not  only  in  Coventry,  but  in  the  county  of 
Chester,  where  it  is  said  to  have  originated.*  At  the  age  of  six- 
Jfc,^       jdlv  teen  he  became  a  member  of  the  University  of  Oxford.     At  the 

I    /\    (J  age  of  nineteen  he  was  admitted  to  orders,  and  was  soon  called  to 

the  city  of  London,  to  take  charge  of  the  church  and  parish  in 
Coleman  Street,  as  its  vicar.  In  the  great  metropolis,  notwith- 
standing his  youth,  he  soon  became  distinguished  for  his  "notable 
accomplishments"  as  a  scholar  and  a  clergyman.  Being  a  Puri- 
tan, he  was  admitted  to  the  friendship,  and  shared  the  counsels, 
of  the  ablest  men  of  that  party,  and  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  all  their  enterprises  foi 
the  public  good. 

When  he  had  been  about  seventeen  years  in  Coleman  Street,  he  was  led  to  regard 
some  of  the  ceremonies  which  were  required  in  the  Church  of  England  as  unscriptural, 
and  became  in  consequence  a  "non-conformist."  The  course  which  he  now  took  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  his  diocesan,  William  Laud,  Bishop  of  London,  whose  displeas- 
ure was  so  much  aroused,  that  when  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1633  it  was  antici- 
pated that  this  old  enemy  of  his  would  speedily  be  advanced  to  the  primacy,  Mr.  Dav- 
enport, knowing  the  risk  he  ran  if  he  remained  in  England,  escaped  into  Holland. 

The  next  three  years  were  years  of  exile,  but  they  proved  to  be  the  turning-point  in 
his  life.  It  was  a  time  when  the  persistency  of  the  English  government  in  requiring 
conformity  in  religion  to  the  established  church  was  such,  that  great  numbers  of  people 
were  turning  their  thoughts  towards  the  New  World,  with  the  idea  of  making  homes 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  It  was  claimed,  however,  that  the  nature  of  the 
allegiance  which  every  Englishman  owed  to  the  king  was  such  that  he  could  not  divest 
himself  of  it ;  that  wherever  he  betook  himself,  as  long  as  he  had  life,  he  was  amenable 
for  his  religious  faith  and  practice,  as  well  as  for  his  civil  conduct,  to  the  despotic  power 
of  the  Star  Chamber  and  the  Court  of  High  Commission.  Even  the  men  who  had 
framed  for  themselves  a  constitution  in  the  cabin  of  the  Mayfloiver  had  not  become 
disentangled  from  old  traditions.  They  recognized  the  fact  that  they  were  still  under 
the  rule  of  the  king.  They  did  not  even  desire  to  shake  off  his  authority.  They 
subscribed  themselves  "the  loyal  subjects  of  our  dread  sovereign  King  James";  and 
what  they  did,  they  declared  was  done  "for  the  honor  of  our  king  and  country."  The 
colonists  who  settled  Massachusetts  not  only  made  no  advance  in  theory  upon  the  men 
of  Plymouth,  but  they  did  not  go  as  far.  They  went  out  from  England  under  English 
charters.     Their  claim  to  the  rights  which  they  asserted  was  founded,  in  their  estimation, 

*  Arms  of  the  Davenport  Family. — Argent,  a  chevron  sable  between  three  cross  crosslets  fitch^e  of  the  second.     Crest. 
—On  a  wreath,  a  felon's  head,  couped  at  the  neck  proper,  haltered  Or.     OFFICE  INDICATED. — Magisterial  Sergeancy. 


s^^iv 


J&T^n,       /)  CWZ^eA^z. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH.  3 

on  the  fact  that  they  were  Englishmen  by  birth.  The  colonists,  too,  who  settled  the 
towns  on  the  Connecticut  river  did  not  forget  at  once  that  they  were  Englishmen.  They 
went  out  from  Massachusetts  to  establish  themselves  in  territory  which  was  at  least 
indirectly  held  by  a  title  derived  from  the  crown  of  England. 

Not  so  John  Davenport.  In  his  exile  he  conceived  a  view  in  advance  of  this.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  there  were  rights  which  belonged  to  Englishmen,  not  because  they 
were  Englishmen,  but  because  they  were  men.  He  fell  back  on  the  natural  and  inher- 
ent rights  which  were  theirs  by  virtue  of  their  manhood.  It  seemed  to  him  that  if  a 
company  of  Englishmen  went  beyond  the  limits  of  any  existing  government,  they 
were  free  to  expatriate  themselves,  and  found  a  new  and  independent  state.  Very 
likely  this  idea  had  occurred  before  to  others,  but  he  was  the  first  to  resolve  to  carry  it 
into  execution.  He  determined  to  lead  a  colony  into  the  American  wilderness  without 
asking  for  any  charter,  and  without  recognizing  in  any  way  dependence  upon  the  king. 
He  proposed  to  found  a  state  which  should  be  independent,  and  should  acknowledge 
allegiance  only  to  God ;  a  state  which  should  be  Christian  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
word;  in  which,  as  he  said,  "he  would  drive  things  in  the  first  essay  as  near  to  the 
precept  and  pattern  of  Scripture  as  they  could  be  driven";  a  state  moreover  which 
should  be  supported  and  adorned  by  all  those  institutions  which  his  wide  experience 
had  taught  him  would  give  it  dignity  and  strength,  and  contribute  to  the  well-being  of 
its  citizens.  With  due  sense  of  the  importance  of  laying  the  foundation  of  such  a 
state  aright,  "lest,"  as  he  said,  "posterity  rue  the  first  miscarriages  when  it  will  be  too 
late  to  redress  them,"  he  proposed  that  churches  should  be  established  not  only  free  and 
independent  of  all  control  by  the  state,  but  that  all  power,  civil  as  well  as  ecclesiastical, 
should  be  vested  in  the  hands  of  the  members  of  these  churches,  in  such  a  way  that 
only  church  members  should  act  in  the  choice  of  those  who  were  to  fill  the  offices  of 
government,  or  be  eligible  to  them.  Furthermore,  in  order  that  the  Christian  citizens 
of  the  state  so  constituted,  upon  whom  all  the  responsibilities  for  the  conduct  of  affairs 
were  to  rest,  might  be  men  of  intelligence,  and  competent  to  discharge  these  responsi- 
bilities, he  proposed  that  the  advantages  of  education  should  be  provided  in  such  a  way 
that  the  whole  body  of  the  children  of  each  successive  generation  should  be  "brought 
up  in  learning." 

In  the  popular  estimation,  the  age  of  colonization  which  was  now  commencing,  the 
age  in  which  the  foundations  of  states  were  laid,  seems  less  attractive  than  the  age  of 
exploration  and  discovery  which  had  just  passed  away.  But  surely  no  more  glorious 
vision  fired  the  imagination  of  the  Cabots,  of  Frobisher,  of  Drake,  of  Howard,  or  even 
of  Raleigh,  than  this  grand  conception  of  a  new  independent  Christian  state,  resting 
on  intelligence  and  justice,  to  be  founded  outside  the  bounds  of  any  existing  jurisdic- 
tion, which  now  stirred  the  enthusiasm  of  John  Davenport. 

Accordingly,  with  this  conception  of  a  state  in  his  mind,  as  soon  as  possible  he 
returned  to  England,  for  the  purpose  of  persuading  his  old  friends  and  parishioners  in 
Coleman  Street  to  co-operate  with  him  in  an  effort  to  make  it  a  reality. 

Prominent  at  that  time  among  them  was  Theophilus  Eaton,  "a  merchant  of  great 
credit  and  fashion,"  who  had  been  in  boyhood  his  schoolmate,  and  ever  after  his  de- 


4  YALE  COLLEGE. 

voted  friend.  The  father  of  Eaton  had  been  a  "famous  minister"  in  Coventry.  The 
son  had  gone  early  to  London,  had  there  engaged  in  trade  to  the  Baltic,  had  been 
deputy-governor  of  the  company  of  merchants  to  which  he  belonged,  had  visited  the 
northern  nations  of  Europe,  and  had  been  the  representative  of  Charles  I  at  the  Court 
of  Denmark. 

With  the  assistance  of  Theophilus  Eaton,  and  of  Edward  Hopkins,  another  wealthy 
London  merchant,  who  was  the  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Eaton,  a  company  was  formed, 
which,  in  May,  1637,  set  sail  from  England,  and,  after  a  delay  of  some  months  in  Bos- 
ton, landed  in  New  Haven,  April  25,  1638. 

Such  then  was  the  character  of  the  leader  of  this  colony,  and  such  the  circumstances 
under  which  he  was  inspired  to  come  to  these  shores.  The  character  of  the  men  who 
made  up  his  company  also  requires  a  moment's  attention,  in  order  that  the  traditions  of 
New  Haven  may  be  understood,  and  in  order  that  it  may  be  seen  what  was  the  nature 
of  the  soil  from  which  the  college  in  due  time  was  to  spring. 

As  a  body,  the  men  who  made  up  this  company  were  men  of  superior  wealth,  cult- 
ure, and  knowledge  of  affairs.  But  the  thing  which  especially  distinguished  them  from 
all  the  other  colonists  who  landed  in  any  part  of  New  England  was  the  grandeur  of  the 
objects  which  they  proposed  to  themselves.  They  had  accepted  the  views  of  their 
former  pastor  in  Coleman  Street,  and  had  come  with  him  to  these  ends  of  the  earth,  not 
simply  that  they  might  escape  from  religious  and  political  tyranny;  not  simply  that 
they  might  find  a  place  where  they  might  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of 
their  consciences — though  no  one  of  them  would  probably  have  left  his  native  land 
had  it  not  been  for  the  oppression  which  they  had  suffered  at  home  for  their  religious 
views — but  they  had  come  with  the  distinct  understanding  that  they  were  to  ldy  here 
the  foundations  of  a  Christian  state  which  would  in  time  take  its  place  in  the  world  as 
a  free  and  independent  commonwealth.  They  knew  that  it  was  then  the  day  of  small 
things,  but  the  results  which  are  seen  to-day  they  none  the  less  expected.  It  might  take 
years  to  have  these  results  developed,  but  they  anticipated  them  with  confidence.  Hence 
in  all  their  public  transactions,  and  in  all  the  institutions  which  they  proceeded  to  estab- 
lish, the  first  planters  of  New  Haven  showed,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  that  they 
appreciated  the  importance  and  dignity  of  what  they  were  doing.  They  were  building 
for  those  who  should  come  after  them.  An  illustration  of  the  enlarged  views  which 
characterized  all  that  they  did  is  to  be  found  in  the  foresight  which  they  manifested  in 
laying  out  their  new  town,  and  in  the  "fine  and  stately"  houses  which  they  erected. 
They  had  many  of  them  been  men  of  wealth  and  position  in  London,  and  had  seen  the 
great  cities  of  different  nations.  They  knew  what  a  city  should  be ;  and  there  was 
nothing  in  those  days  anywhere  else  in  New  England  which  for  beauty  and  commodi- 
ousness  would  equal  their  streets  and  public  square.  The  houses  in  Boston  were  said 
to  make  a  "poor  show"  when  compared  with  those  in  New  Haven.  Another  illustra- 
tion of  the  enlarged  views  of  these  men  is  to  be  found  in  the  high  sense  of  justice 
which  characterized  all  their  actions,  and  of  which  proof  is  to  be  found  in  the  fairness 
and  consideration  with  which  they  invariably  treated  the  neighboring  Indian  tribes. 
And  it  may  be  worth  while  to  refer  here,  also,  even  to  those  things  which  have  been 


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z 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH.  - 

made  a  matter  of  ridicule  by  shallow  critics ;  for  even  in  those  things  they  are  seen, 
on  an  intelligent  consideration  of  their  circumstances  and  the  peculiar  dangers  to  which 
they  were  exposed,  to  have  taken  a  course  which  signally  displays  an  enlightened  and 
comprehensive  statesmanship. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  among  the  things  which  were  regarded  by  Mr.  Dav- 
enport as  of  fundamental  importance  in  the  infant  commonwealth  was  a  provision  for 
universal  education.  His  plan  included  schools  for  all,  where  the  rudiments  of  knowl- 
edge might  be  gained  ;  schools  where  the  learned  languages  should  be  taught ;  a  public 
library;  and,  to  crown  all,  a  college  "in  which  youth  might  be  fitted  for  public  service 
in  church  and  state." 

Inspired  by  him,  the  colonists  came  prepared  to  put  their  educational  system  into 
operation  at  once.  For  this  end,  they  brought  with  them  a  professional  teacher  of  the 
classical  languages,  Mr.  Ezekiel  Cheever,  whose  "Latin  Accidence"  held  its  place  in 
New  England  for  more  than  a  century  as  the  accepted  text-book  in  Latin  Grammar. 
As  a  further  proof  of  the  importance  which  they  attached  to  education,  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  before  a  year  had  passed,  the  General  Court  of  the  colony  ordered  a  clause 
to  be  inserted  in  the  indentures  of  an  apprentice,  Charles  Higginson,  to  the  effect  that 
he  was  to  be  kept  at  school  for  a  year ;  and  that  this  was  no  mere  matter  of  form  ap- 
pears from  the  fact  that  a  few  years  afterwards  the  indentures  of  another  apprentice, 
Samuel  Hitchcock,  were  canceled  "because  he  had  not  been  taught  to  read  and  write." 
Very  soon,  also,  before  they  had  yet  completed  the  laying  out  of  the  town,  they  estab- 
lished a  free  grammar-school,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  "to  consider  what  yearly 
allowance  is  meet  to  be  given  to  it  out  of  the  common  stock  of  the  town."  In  1643,  the 
fifth  year  after  their  landing,  at  the  request  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  United  Colo- 
nies of  New  England,  they  took  up  a  contribution  of  corn,  by  officers  appointed  for  the 
purpose,  for  the  support  of  the  college  which  had  already  been  established  in  Massa- 
chusetts ;  and  they  continued  to  forward  a  contribution  annually  for  several  years.  A 
"cash  gift"  of  £\o  sterling  is  also  gratefully  acknowledged  by  the  historian  of  Harvard 
College,  which  was  sent  on,  at  this  time,  by  Governor  Eaton,  from  New  Haven,  to 
assist  in  the  erection  of  the  requisite  buildings  in  Cambridge.  Such,  then,  it  should  be 
remembered,  was  the  feeling  with  regard  to  the  importance  of  education  among  the 
people  who  settled  New  Haven  at  the  very  first.  That  the  love  of  learning  should  be 
cultivated,  and  that  sacrifices  should  be  made  in  order  that  instruction  of  the  highest 
kind  might  be  provided,  were  principles  which  were  imbedded  in  the  very  theory  of  the 
state  whose  foundations  they  laid. 

Unfortunately  the  colonists  did  not  succeed  financially  as  they  had  expected.  Per- 
haps the  place  which  they  had  selected  for  their  town,  in  their  circumstances,  and  at 
that  time,  was  unfavorable.  Everything  seemed  to  go  against  them.  They  met  with 
a  series  of  severe  disasters.  The  prospect  in  their  new  abode  grew  discouraging. 
Even  the  tidings  which  reached  them  from  England  was  of  a  character  to  make  them 
feel  unsettled,  and  to  lead  them  to  look  back,  with  longing  eyes,  to  their  native  land. 
A  brighter  day  seemed  to  be  dawning  there.  The  word  came  to  them  that  the  Star 
Chamber  and  the  Court  of  High  Commission  had  been  abolished.     The  Parliament  at 


6  YALE  COLLEGE. 

last  had  dared  to  assert  the  liberties  of  the  people,  and  had  placed  itself  in  opposition 
to  the:  King-.  The  royal  standard  had  been  set  up  at  Nottingham,  and  the  soldiers  of 
the  Parliament  had  crossed  swords  with  the  cavaliers  at  Edgehill.  Letters  were  re- 
ceived from  Cromwell,  and  others  high  in  the  counsels  of  the  popular  party,  urging  Mr. 
Davenport  to  return  to  England  to  assist  in  the  great  revolution  which  was  already 
begun.  Letters  were  also  received,  which,  as  it  is  supposed,  contained  an  invitation  to 
him  to  come  over  and  take  a  seat  in  the  assembly  of  divines  which  it  was  expected  was 
soon  to  meet  for  the  purpose  of  remodeling  the  Church  of  England ;  and  which  after- 
wards, when  it  met,  was  known  as  the  Westminster  Assembly.  They  wrote  him : 
"The  sooner  you  come  the  better!"  There  is  evidence  that  Mr.  Davenport  was 
strongly  moved  to  go.  Some  of  his  friends  did  go,  and  held  high  office  under  the 
Protector.  But  Mr.  Davenport  held  on,  and  notwithstanding  all  discouragements,  and 
the  alluring  prospects  presented  in  England,  in  consequence  of  the  new  state  of  things, 
the  great  body  of  the  planters  held  on  and  showed  their  unalterable  determination  to 
carry  out  their  original  plan.  At  last,  in  1647,  the  tenth  year  of  their  settlement,  the 
year  in  which  Charles  I  was  delivered  as  a  prisoner  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  En- 
glish Parliament,  they  were  ready  to  begin  to  take  definite  action  with  regard  to  estab- 
lishing the  college,  which,  in  their  estimation,  was  to  crown  their  educational  system. 
Accordingly  a  tract  of  land,  to  which  the  name  of  "college  land"  was  given,  was  set 
apart  for  its  support.  A  house  was  also  offered  by  Deputy-Governor  Goodyear,  on  the 
lot  now  occupied  by  the  hotel  known  as  the  New  Haven  House,  and  fronting  on  that 
public  square,  which,  in  the  progress  of  time,  was  destined  to  see  all  their  anticipations 
fulfilled,  and  to  be  associated  with  the  memories  of  so  many  generations  of  scholars. 
This  house  was,  however,  never  formally  deeded,  as  it  became  necessary  to  suspend 
the  enterprise  for  a  season,  "in  consequence  of  the  remonstrances  of  the  people  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, who  claimed  that  the  whole  population  of  New  England  was  scarcely  suffi- 
cient to  support  one  institution  of  this  nature,  and  that  the  establishment  of  a  second 
would  in  the  end  be  a  sacrifice  of  both." 

But  the  project  was  by  no  means  abandoned.  It  continued  to  be  cherished  by  the 
people  of  the  whole  jurisdiction  with  undiminished  interest.  It  came  up  again  four 
years  after,  in  1652,  in  the  General  Court,  and  the  proposition  was  discussed  there  in 
some  form  or  other  nearly  every  succeeding  year. 

Meanwhile  Cromwell,  who  was  now  Lord  Protector  of  England,  who  had  been 
acquainted  all  along  with  the  condition  of  affairs  in  New  Haven  through  correspond- 
ence with  one  of  his  relatives,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hooke,  the  colleague  of  Mr.  Davenport, 
made  an  attempt  to  induce  the  colonists  to  remove.  He  offered  them  a  new  home  in 
Jamaica,  and  afterwards  a  place  in  Ireland  "with  many  privileges."  But  they  not  only 
would  not  consent  to  abandon  the  homes  which  they  had  made  for  themselves  here,  but 
they  did  not  even  falter  in  any  of  the  plans  which  they  had  proposed.  Notwithstand- 
ing fresh  discouragements,  the  project  of  the  college  was  brought  forward  again  and 
again  in  New  Haven  and  also  in  the  other  towns  which  had  grown  up  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. In  1655  they  proceeded  so  far  as  to  take  up  a  subscription  in  New  Haven, 
which  amounted  to  ^300.      ^100  were  also  promised  from  Milford.      The  other  towns 


HOPKINS    GRAMMAR    SCHOOL. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH.  -j 

of  the  jurisdiction  raised  the  amount  to  ^540,  which  was  considered  to  be  enough  to  pro- 
vide for  a  house.  Upon  this,  the  people  of  New  Haven  took  further  measures  and 
assured  ^60  a  year  "out  of  the  town  treasury,"  as  a  salary  for  a  president.  And  as 
additional  evidence  of  the  confident  expectation  that  still  existed  in  the  community  that 
a  college  would  soon  be  established,  it  appeared,  on  the  death  of  Governor  Eaton,  in 
1658,  who  had  been  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  colony  by  annual  election  from  the  first, 
that  he  had  already  delivered  to  Mr.  Davenport  books  to  the  value  of  ^20  for  its  use. 

At  last,  in  1660,  it  seemed  as  if  the  great  object  for  which  so  much  solicitude  had 
been  manifested  had  been  attained.  A  bequest  of  money,  sufficient  as  it  was  thought 
to  make  it  possible  to  carry  out  the  enterprise,  was  left  by  will  for  the  purpose  by  Gov- 
ernor Hopkins.  The  name  of  this  generous  benefactor  of  the  colony  has  already  been 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  formation  of  the  original  company  in  London.  He 
was  the  son-in-law  of  Governor  Eaton,  and  one  of  the  original  party  who  had  left  En- 
gland in  1637.  He,  however,  had  not  established  himself  in  New  Haven,  but  had 
taken  up  his  residence  in  Hartford,  where  he  had  been  for  many  years,  alternately  with 
Governor  Haynes,  re-elected  Governor  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut,  from  1640  to 
1654.  There  he  had  acquired  a  large  property.  On  the  death  of  his  brother  in  En- 
gland who  was  "Warden  of  the  fleet,"  it  had  become  necessary  for  him  to  return  to  his 
native  land.  There  he  had  been  welcomed  by  the  Protector,  and  had  been  made  by 
him  Commissioner  of  the  Admiralty,  and  had  been  advanced  to  other  important  offices. 
Mr.  Davenport  had  kept  him  informed  by  letter  of  what  was  doing  in  New  Haven  for 
the  foundation  of  a  college ;  and  he  had  expressed  his  determination  to  contribute 
something  for  its  support.  But  before  he  was  able  to  do  what  he  had  in  contemplation, 
he  died.  In  his  will,  however,  he  left  a  sum  of  money  to  trustees,  of  whom  Mr.  Dav- 
enport was  one,  for  its  benefit,  "that  hopeful  youth  might  be  bred  up  in  it  for  the 
public  service  of  the  country  in  future  times."  On  receiving  a  copy  of  this  will,  Mr. 
Davenport,  after  conferring  with  the  other  trustees,  informed  the  General  Court  of  the 
jurisdiction  of  New  Haven  of  the  nature  of  the  bequest,  and  proposed  to  them  to  take 
the  necessary  steps  to  establish  the  college  at  once.  The  Court  cordially  responded, 
and  did  all  that  was  considered  desirable  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the  donor.  One 
of  the  best  lots  in  the  town  was  immediately  set  apart  for  it,  and  like  the  lot  which  had 
been  before  offered  in  1647,  it  fronted  on  the  "Green,"  which  thus  seemed  predestined 
from  the  first  to  be  ever  associated  with  its  history.  It  was  the  lot  which  is  now 
occupied  by  the  house  of  Governor  Ingersoll,  at  the  corner  of  Elm  and  Temple  Streets. 

But  Mr.  Davenport  was  doomed  again  to  disappointment.  The  property  from  which 
the  funds  were  to  come  was  situated  in  the  colony  of  Connecticut,  and  the  authorities 
of  that  colony  placed  such  obstacles  in  the  way  of  the  trustees  that  they  were  pre- 
vented from  settling  the  estate.  Nothing  shows  more  clearly  the  character  of  the 
people  of  New  Haven  and  their  indomitable  determination  to  preserve  the  independ- 
ence of  the  Christian  state  which  they  had  founded  than  the  course  which  they  now 
took  in  this  emergency.  The  Colony  of  Connecticut,  in  their  estimation,  was  perpe- 
trating a  great  act  of  injustice  and  yet  they  would  make  no  appeal  to  the  English  courts. 
For  four  years  they  persisted  in  prosecuting  their  claim  in  such  ways  as  were  open  to 


8 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


them,  and  at  last  they  preferred  to  purchase  the  permission  to  settle  the  estate  by  mak- 
ing a  concession  of  full  half  of  the  bequest  to  the  Connecticut  Colony,  rather  than 
recognize  in  any  way  dependence  upon  the  English  government,  by  inviting  its  inter- 
ference. This,  too,  was  the  very  time  when  New  Haven,  in  its  weakness,  was  braving 
the  wrath  of  the  restored  royal  government  in  England  by  sheltering  the  regicide 
judges  of  Charles  I,  General  Whalley  and  General  Goffe,  from  the  officers  who  had 
been  sent  from  England  to  arrest  them. 

At  last,  in  1664,  the  matter  was  brought  to  a  successful  termination.      But  when  the 
trustees  were  prepared  to  pay  over,  for  the  benefit  of  the  college,  the  avails  of  the  be- 


DAVENPORT   PLACE,  NEW    HAVEN,  CONN.* 
I 

quest,  which  as  they  say  had  been  "something  damnified"  by  the  delay,  it  was  a  time 
of  deep  despondency  in  the  New  Haven  colony.  The  commercial  plans  of  the  original 
planters  had  signally  failed.  Many  of  the  principal  men  among  them  had  died. 
Others  had  returned  to  England.  Worst  of  all,  the  great  object  of  their  efforts  seemed 
just  about  to  be  frustrated.  A  new  danger  was  threatening  to  overwhelm  them.  The 
Colony  of  Connecticut  had  procured  a  charter  from  Charles  II,  which  included  in  its 
grant  their  whole  territory,  and  there  seemed  great  doubts  as  to  the  possibility  of  main- 
taining the  separate  and  independent  existence  of  the  Christian  state  which  had  been 


*  The  accompanying  engraving  presents  a  view  of  the  "Davenport  Place,"  in  Elm  street.  The  house  occupied  by  its  original 
proprietor  was  principally  taken  down  and  rebuilt  in  its  present  form  by  the  late  Judge  Pierpont  Edwards,  about  seventy  years  ago. 
Some  parts  of  the  ancient  dwelling  appear  in  the  mansion,  and  the  cellar,  in  which  the  "regicides"  were  concealed  by  Mr.  Daven- 
port, yet  remains  under  the  present  building. 


v.  , 


JUDGES'    CAVE. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH.  9 

the  object  of  such  high  anticipations,  and  to  found  which  they  had  worked  so  bravely, 
and  had  undergone  so  many  hardships.  The  stout-hearted  Davenport  himself  said : 
"In  New  Haven,  Christ's  cause  is  lost."  The  people  of  New  Haven,  weakened  in  so 
many  ways,  were  actually  now  in  no  condition  to  avail  themselves  of  the  bequest  of 
Governor  Hopkins,  so  as  to  make  the  college  what  they  had  intended.  However,  all 
that  could  be  done  was  done.  The  "college  lot"  on  the  public  square,  which  had  been 
reserved  for  its  use,  was  made  over  to  it  by  the  town,  and  the  "college  land"  which  had 
been  voted  sixteen  years  before,  was  placed  at  its  disposal.  But  when  the  attempt  was 
made  to  commence  instruction,  it  was  found  that  it  was  impossible  to  arrange  for  any- 
thing but  instruction  of  a  very  humble  kind.  There  is  evidence  that  this  was  the 
occasion  of  great  grief  to  the  friends  of  the  college.  But  they  did  the  best  they  could, 
and  three  years  after,  the  institution  was  at  last,  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Davenport, 
placed  on  a  more  respectable  footing,  and  it  appears  from  public  documents  that  he  still 
hoped  that  it  might  maintain  its  rank  as  a  college,  and  that  the  original  plan  might  be 
carried  out.  So  he  continued  to  watch  over  its  interests  and  labor  for  its  prosperity  till, 
in  1668,  when  he  made  his  last  formal  grant  to  it,  preparatory  to  his  removal  to  Massa- 
chusetts, he  still  spoke  of  it  as  the  grammar-school  or  college  "already  begun."  But 
after  he  had  left  New  Haven  for  Boston,  where  he  died  in  less  than  two  years,  March 
n,  1670,  the  times  grew  still  more  unpropitious.  It  was  not  long  before  the  attention 
of  all  New  England  was  wholly  absorbed  by  that  disastrous  and  exhausting  war  with  the 
Indians,  in  which  the  native  tribes  combined  their  forces  in  order  if  possible  to  exter- 
minate the  whole  white  population.  When  that  war  was  brought  to  a  conclusion,  the 
people  were  still  kept  in  a  constant  state  of  alarm  by  the  fear  that  their  chartered 
rights  might  be  taken  from  them  to  satisfy  the  greed  of  the  needy  courtiers  and  favor- 
ites of  Charles  II.  And  then  in  1686,  when  Charles  II  had  been  succeeded  by  his 
brother,  James  II,  all  again  was  thrown  into  confusion  by  the  revolution  which  was  ac- 
complished in  New  England  by  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  who  had  been  commissioned  by 
James  II  for  the  purpose  of  overthrowing  all  the  existing  governments  of  New  England 
and  organizing  the  whole  country  under  one  royal  governor.  At  a  time  when  the 
charter  of  Connecticut  was  lying  concealed  in  the  friendly  shelter  of  the  famous  oak  in 
Hartford,  which  was  to  become  forever  known  as  the  "Charter  Oak,"  it  could  hardly  be 
expected  that  much  would  be  done  for  the  promotion  of  the  higher  education.  Yet, 
notwithstanding  these  troubles,  the  school  maintained  its  existence,  and  although  all 
hopes  of  its  attaining  to  the  rank  of  a  college  were  given  up,  a  succession  of  learned 
teachers  continued  to  give  classical  instruction  and  to  fit  youths  for  college ;  and  the 
town  of  New  Haven,  also,  continued  to  show  that  it  still  felt  the  importance  of  bring- 
ing up  "hopeful  youths"  for  the  public  use  and  service  of  the  country,  as  is  shown  by 
the  records,  where  it  appears  that,  "for  the  encouragement  of  such  persons  as  showed 
a  disposition  to  bring  up  their  children  in  learning,"  money  was  voted  repeatedly  from 
the  public  treasury  to  maintain  them  at  Harvard  College  in  Massachusetts. 

Such  then  were  the  results  of  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Davenport.     No  one  of  the  colonies 
of  New  England  had  apparently  started  under  such  favorable  circumstances,  or  with 
such  high  hopes  of  success  as  the  colony  of  wealthy  merchants  which  he  had  led  from 
vol.  1. — 2 


IO  YALE  COLLEGE. 

London  to  New  Haven.  All  that  riches,  and  education,  and  culture,  and  knowledge  of 
affairs  could  do  to  perpetuate  themselves  in  the  American  wilderness,  was  done.  The 
story  of  the  struggles  of  those  brave  men  is  a  sad  one.  It  is  one  that  has  been  often 
repeated  in  the  long  history  of  the  colonization  of  this  country.  It  is  the  old  story  of 
the  fate  which  has  befallen  so  many  of  the  generous,  the  aspiring,  and  the  self-sacrific- 
ing, who,  in  the  great  crises  of  affairs,  have  been  ready  to  choose  the  part  of  clanger 
and  to  go  to  the  front.  A  near  kinsman*  of  Mr.  Davenport  remained  at  home,  and 
held  high  station  through  a  long  life,  at  the  court  of  his  sovereign;  first  in  that  of 
Charles  I,  and  afterwards  in  that  of  Charles  II.  John  Davenport  left  England  to  carry 
out  here  a  magnificent  idea;  and  instead  of  an  independent  Christian  state,  supported 
by  all  the  institutions  which  can  make  a  state  glorious,  New  Haven  had  been  brought 
into  subjection  to  Connecticut,  and  the  college  which  was  to  have  been  a  beacon  in  this 
western  world,  a  centre  for  all  refining  influences,  and  which  was  to  have  diffused  light 
and  truth — lux  ct  Veritas — to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  never  in  his  life  rose  above  the 
grade  of  a  grammar-school.  It  would  seem  as  if  his  life  had  been  a  failure.  Yet  not 
altogether,  for  as  one  result  the  love  of  learning  has  been  planted  deep  in  the  hearts  of 
the  peorjle  of  New  Haven,  never  to  be  eradicated;  and  as  another  of  the  results,  the 
school  which  he  had  been  enabled  to  found,  through  the  liberality  of  Governor  Hop- 
kins, had  gained  firm  root,  and  has  continued  to  this  day,  and  has  flourished  to  such  a 
degree  that  probably  no  school  on  the  American  continent,  in  these  two  hundred  and 
sixteen  years,  has  done  more  for  the  promotion  of  elementary  classical  education.  As 
still  another  of  the  results,  it  appears  that  of  the  graduates  of  Harvard  College  from 
its  foundation  in  1636  to  the  year  1700  as  many  as  one  in  thirty,  at  least,  were  from  the 
distant  town  of  New  Haven,  when  even  at  the  close  of  this  period  the  total  number  of 
its  inhabitants  scarcely  exceeded  five  hundred.  And  yet  another  result  of  what  he  ac- 
complished is  found  in  the  fact  that  when  the  fullness  of  time  came,  the  seed  that  he 
had  sown  sprang  up,  and  to-day  the  college,  which  should  have  been  known  by  his 
name,  stands  in  New  Haven  as  the  fruit  of  the  traditions  of  his  plans,  and  of  his  hopes 
and  of  his  unwearied  labors.  As  long  as  the  college  stands,  the  name  of  John  Daven- 
port, that  pioneer  in  the  promotion  of  the  higher  education,  should  be  remembered  by 
its  alumni  with  reverence  and  gratitude. 

*  This  was  Christopher  Davenport,  or  Father  Francis  de  St.  Clare  (to  use  his  religious  name),  who  was  a  nephew  of  John 
1  >avenport. 


S^t>^     /)  cW&tyjrfk,. 


/if5?!?-      -P=       . 


UjJJ!  [--^IT8  BHBB 


HOUSE  OF   REV.    SAMUEL     RUSSEL     (BRANFORD), 

IN   WHICH   THE  COLLEGE  WAS  FOUNDED,  A.D.   I7OO. 


CHAPTER    II. 

FOUNDATION  OF  THE   COLLEGE,  A.D.  1700. 

Despondency  of  the  people  of  New  England  after  the  Restoration.  —  Religious  declension. — 
Revival  of  prosperity  after  the  Revolution  of  1688. — James  Pierpont,  Samuel  Andrew,  Samuel 
Russel. — Advantage  taken  of  the  new  state  of  things. — The  probable  revival  of  the  idea  of 
founding  a  college  in  New  Haven.  —  Plan  delayed  by  War  with  France.  —  Coalition  against  Louis 
XIV.  —  Peace  of  Ryswick,  A.D.  1697.  —  New  efforts  to  establish  a  college. — Plan  of  Rev.  Cotton 
Mather.  —  Ecclesiastical  establishment  party.  —  Plan  of  New  Haven  ministers. — Trustees  nomi- 
nated.—  New  Haven  influence  predominant.  —  Israel  Chauncy,  Thomas  Buckingham,  Abraham 
Pierson,  Noadiah  Russel,  Samuel  Andrew,  James  Pierpont,  Joseph  Webb,  James  Noyes,  Samuel 
Mather,  Timothy  Woodbridge.  —  Meeting  in  New  Haven,  A.D.  1700.  —  Meeting  by  appointment  at 
Branford.  —  College  founded  by  the  presentation  of  books. — Doubts  as  to  the  expediency  of  ap- 
plying for  a  Charter.  —  Experience  of  Harvard  College. — Thought  "safe  and  best"  to  proceed. — 
The  Sewall  and  Addington  Draft. — Altered  to  suit  the  views  of  the  Trustees. — Donation  of  Hon. 
James  Fitch. — The  peculiar  phraseology  of  the  Charter. — "Tutors  or  ushers." — Meeting  of  the 
Trustees  at  Saybrook,  Nov.  ii,  1701.  —  College  established  at  Saybrook  "for  the  present." — Abra- 
ham Pierson  elected  Rector.  —  "Orders"  of  the  Trustees  respecting  his  duties.  —  Instruction  to 
be  given  at  Kenilworth. —  Plan  of  studies. —  First  student. —  Monument  erected,  A.D.  1868. —  First 

COMMENCEMENT. ELECTION     OF    TUTOR. DISCOURAGEMENT. QUEEN    ANNE'S    War. RECTOR    PlERSON's 

DEATH.  —  LAUNT  THOMPSON'S  STATUE. MODERN  HISTORICAL  CRITICISM. 


The  gloom  and  despondency  which  had  begun  to  settle  down  upon  the  people  of 
New  England  on  the  accession  of  Charles  II  had  reached  a  climax  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  year  1689.  The  acts  of  trade  and  navigation,  passed  by  the  home  govern- 
ment in  1663,  had  borne  hard  on  all  their  industries.  They  had  been  forced  to  engage 
in  a  desperate  struggle  for  life  itself  with  the  original  inhabitants  of  the  soil.  The 
whole  power  of  the  Indian  tribes  within  their  borders  had  been  united  under  that  re- 
nowned chieftain  who  is  known  as  King  Philip,  and  as  the  result  of  the  war  which 
ensued,  "there  was  hardly  a  family  or  an  individual  in  any  of  the  colonies  who  had  not 
been  called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  some  near  friend.  Every  eleventh  man  in  the  militia 
had  fallen.  Every  eleventh  family  had  been  burned  out.  The  cultivation  of  the  soil 
had  been  in  a  great  measure  suspended.  All  resources  were  exhausted,  and  every 
colony  and  town  was  loaded  with  debt."     Scarcely  had  they  emerged  from  this  disas- 

1 1 


I2  YALE  COLLEGE. 

trous  conflict,  when  their  charters  were  declared  to  be  forfeited.  Sir  Edmund  Andros 
received  a  commission  as  Governor- General  of  all  New  England,  and  after  taking  on 
himself  the  administration  of  government,  announced  that  the  titles  of  the  inhabitants  to 
their  lands  were  of  no  value.  He  declared  that  "Indian  deeds  were  no  better  than  the 
scratch  of  a  bear's  paw."  The  historian  of  Connecticut,  Dr.  Trumbull,  says:  "Not  the 
fairest  purchases  and  most  ample  conveyance  from  the  natives,  no  dangers,  disburse- 
ments, nor  labors  in  cultivating  a  wilderness,  and  turning  it  into  orchards,  gardens,  and 
pleasant  fields,  no  grants  by  charters,  nor  by  legislatures  constituted  by  them,  no  dec- 
larations of  preceding  kings,  nor  of  his  then  present  majesty,  promising  them  the  quiet 
enjoyment  of  their  houses  and  lands,  nor  fifty  or  sixty  years'  undisturbed  possession, 
were  pleas  of  any  validity  or  consideration  with  Sir  Edmund  and  his  minions.  The 
purchasers  and  cultivators,  after  fifty  or  sixty  years'  improvement,  were  obliged  to  take 
out  patents  for  their  estates.  For  these,  in  some  instances,  a  fee  of  fifty  pounds  was 
demanded.  Writs  of  intrusion  were  issued  against  persons  of  principal  character  who 
would  not  submit  to  such  impositions,  and  their  lands  were  patented  to  others."  The 
result  was  that:  "All  the  motives  to  great  actions,  to  industry,  economy,  enterprise, 
wealth,  and  population,  were  in  a  manner  annihilated.  A  general  inactivity  and  lan- 
guishment  pervaded  the  whole  public  body.  Liberty,  property,  and  everything  which 
ought  to  be  dear  to  men  grew  more  and  more  insecure." 

At  last,  when  all  was  at  its  worst,  and  fear  and  distrust  had  spread  over  the  whole 
country,  in  April  of  the  year  1689,  the  tidings  reached  Boston  that  on  the  preceding 
5th  of  November  the  Prince  of  Orange  had  landed  at  Torbay  in  England.  At  the  first 
intimation  of  a  prospect  of  relief,  even  before  the  announcement  that  William  and 
Mary  had  been  proclaimed  King  and  Queen,  the  people  rose  against  the  authority  of 
Andros,  placed  him  and  his  officers  in  confinement,  and  recalled  their  former  magis- 
trates to  authority.  Then,  upon  the  restoration  of  their  old  government,  there  was 
soon  everywhere  seen  a  revival  of  public  confidence  and  a  return  of  prosperity. 

This  long  period  of  anxiety  and  trouble,  brought  about  by  the  usurpation  and  vexa- 
tious interference  of  the  English  government,  had  been  attended  by  a  wide-spread 
religious  declension.  The  descendants  of  the  first  colonists,  demoralized  by  war  and 
the  consequences  of  war,  distracted  by  fear  and  anxiety,  had  in  great  measure  lost  the 
strong  religious  convictions  which  had  been  entertained  by  their  fathers.  A  change 
also  in  their  doctrinal  views  had  gradually  crept  in,  which  was  soon  to  lead  to  the  prac- 
tice of  receiving  all  baptized  persons  who  were  not  openly  immoral  into  the  church  as 
church  members  under  what  was  called  the  "half-way  covenant,"  and  admitting  also 
the  children  of  such  persons  to  baptism.  The  results  of  these  altered  views  were  already 
to  be  seen  in  the  contentions  and  divisions  by  which  the  churches  were  everywhere 
distracted. 

The  towns  of  the  old  New  Haven  jurisdiction  had  felt  all  these  unfavorable  influ- 
ences as  much  as  those  in  any  part  of  New  England.  Religion  and  morality,  and  the 
cause  of  education  had  all  suffered.  There  had  been  a  period  of  some  years,  in  the 
churches  of  New  Haven,  Milford,  and  Branford,  when  from  various  causes  there  had 
been  no  settled  pastor.      Dissensions  and  quarrels  had  arisen  among  the  people  which 


Jj  Ci+vyAA      iJLl'jl^pJ6*i4- 


FOUNDATION  OF  THE  COLLEGE,  A.D.   1700.  ,3 

had  proved  ruinous  to  spiritual  religion.  But  a  few  years  before  the  Revolution  of 
1688  in  England,  when  everything  seemed  full  of  discouragement,  these  churches  had 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  as  their  pastors  three  young  men  whose  names  were  des- 
tined to  be  memorable  in  the  history  of  American  education :  James  Pierpont,  Samuel 
Andrew,  and  Samuel  Russel. 

The  Rev.  James  Pierpont  was  born  in  Roxbury,  in  Massachusetts,  Jan.  4,  1659. 
His  father,  who  came  to  that  colony  from  London,  was  of  the  younger  branch  of  a 
noble  family  in  England,  the  earls  of  Kingston.  The  son  graduated  at  Harvard  Col- 
lege in  1 68 1,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  Three  years  after,  he  was  invited  to  come  to 
New  Haven  to  preach,  and  after  filling  the  pulpit  for  eleven  months  as  a  candidate, 
he  was  ordained,  in  July,  1685,  pastor  of  the  church  which  had  been  gathered  by  Rev. 
John  Davenport.  It  would  seem  that  he  won  the  confidence  of  the  people  at  once  by 
his  gentleness  and  amiability,  and  the  prudence  which  he  manifested  in  the  treatment 
of  the  old  causes  of  difficulty  and  disagreement.  Very  soon  after  his  ordination,  the 
ancient  church  edifice  was  found  to  be  too  small  for  the  number  of  people  who  thronged 
to  attend  public  worship,  attracted  by  the  fervor  of  his  manner.  His  doctrinal  sound- 
ness, and  his  wisdom  in  counsel,  soon  gave  him  a  commanding  influence  throughout 
the  colony,  and  he  was  looked  up  to  with  veneration. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Andrew  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  in  1656,  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  College,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  in  1675.  He  remained  at  the 
college  for  a  number  of  years  as  a  resident  fellow  or  tutor,  and  gained  great  reputation 
as  a  scholar  and  as  an  instructor.  In  1685,  a  few  months  after  the  ordination  of  Mr. 
Pierpont  at  New  Haven,  he  was  ordained  over  the  neighboring  church  at  Milford.  It 
was  not  long  before  he  married  the  daughter  of  Governor  Treat,  who  was  one  of  his 
parishioners,  and  had  served  the  colony  thirty-two  consecutive  years,  either  as  Deputy- 
Governor  or  Governor.  Such  was  the  character  of  Mr.  Andrew,  that  it  is  said  the 
people  who,  before  his  coming  among  them,  had  been  in  a  divided  and  distracted  state, 
soon  became  happy  and  united  under  his  ministry. 

Two  years  after,  in  1687,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Russel  was  ordained  in  Branford,  the 
town  adjoining  New  Haven  on  the  east.  This  town  had  been  almost  depopulated 
twenty  years  before  by  the  removal  of  the  larger  part  of  the  church  and  its  minister,  the 
Rev.  Abraham  Pierson,  to  New  Jersey,  where  he  had  laid  the  foundations  of  the  town 
of  Newark.  During  these  twenty  years  there  had  been  no  settled  minister  in  Branford, 
and  Mr.  Russel  became  the  second  father  of  the  town.  He  was  the  son  of  the  first 
minister  of  Hadley  in  Massachusetts,  and  had  been  a  classmate  of  Mr.  Pierpont,  in 
Harvard  College,  in  the  class  of  1681. 

Thus  it  happened  that  these  three  ministers  were  established  in  three  of  the  impor- 
tant towns  of  the  old  New  Haven  jurisdiction,  just  about  the  time  of  the  revival  of 
business  and  public  confidence,  which  commenced  with  the  accession  of  William  and 
Mary,  and  were  all  ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  new  impulse  which  was  felt  every- 
where in  the  country. 

It  appears  further  that  these  ministers  were  men  who  were  not  disposed  to  be  con- 
tented with  simply  going  through  the  established  routine  of  ministerial  labor.     They 


,4  YALE  COLLEGE. 

were  on  the  alert,  and  eager  to  try  new  methods  for  advancing  the  public  good.  As  an 
evidence  of  it,  we  find  that  it  was  not  long  before  they  were  active  in  a  new  plan  which 
had  been  suggested  for  holding  a  series  of  public  religious  lectures  by  rotation  in  the 
neighboring  towns,  "to  further  religion  and  reformation  in  these  declining  times." 

Such  men  as  these  were  not  likely  to  be  long  neglectful  of  the  interests  of  education. 
With  the  return  of  prosperity,  the  population  of  Connecticut  was  increasing.  The 
back  country  was  filling  up.  Churches  were  being  established  in  the  new  towns. 
There  was  everywhere  a  call  for  educated  ministers.  Educated  men  were  also  needed 
in  civil  life.  A  college  would  do  much  to  supply  these  wants,  and  would  help  to  diffuse 
literature  and  piety  among  the  people.  It  has  already  been  stated  that  Mr.  Pierpont, 
Mr.  Andrew,  and  Mr.  Russel  were  settled  in  towns  which  had  shown  from  the  first  ex- 
traordinary interest  in  the  higher  education.  The  memory  of  the  purpose  of  Mr. 
Davenport  to  establish  a  college  in  New  Haven  was  fresh  in  the  minds  of  all.  From 
their  childhood  the  people  had  been  familiar  with  the  idea  of  a  college.  The  grammar- 
school  founded  by  the  bequest  of  Governor  Hopkins  was  in  successful  operation,  where 
young  men  were  being  fitted  for  college.  Students  were  being  sent  at  the  public 
expense  to  Harvard  College  to  complete  their  studies.  But  the  journey  to  Massachu- 
setts was  long  and  expensive.  The  cost  of  maintaining  a  young  man  at  Cambridge, 
at  such  a  distance  from  home,  was  great.  It  must  have  been  seen  that  in  this  way 
money  was  carried  out  of  the  colony  which  might  be  retained  if  a  college  was  estab- 
lished in  New  Haven ;  and,  if  this  were  done,  that  students  would  be  attracted  to  it 
from  the  colonies  to  the  south  and  west ;  from  New  York,  and  New  Jersey,  and  Penn- 
sylvania ;  and  that  thus  such  an  institution  would  be  even  of  pecuniary  advantage 
to  the  town. 

According  to  all  accounts,  the  idea  of  making  a  new  effort  to  set  up  a  college  in  New 
Haven  started  with  Mr.  Pierpont;  and,  throughout,  it  would  seem  that  he  took  the 
lead  in  all  that  was  done.  On  coming  to  New  Haven,  he  had  made  his  residence  with 
the  family  of  the  widow  of  the  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Davenport.  There  he  could  not 
have  failed  to  become  acquainted  with  the  design  of  that  remarkable  man  to  make  New 
Haven  a  college  town.  After  a  few  years,  he  had  married  the  granddaughter  of  Mr. 
Davenport,  and  thus  not  only  succeeded  him  in  the  church,  but  by  this  marriage  be- 
came as  it  were  the  heir  of  the  traditions  and  hopes  of  the  family. 

How  early  the  plan  of  reviving  the  design  of  establishing  a  college  in  New  Haven 
occurred  to  Mr.  Pierpont,  it  is  impossible  now  to  say.  But  it  can  hardly  be  doubted 
that  under  the  circumstances  it  could  not  have  been  very  long  after  his  settlement  that 
it  was  made  the  subject  of  discussion  between  him  and  his  two  nearest  ministerial 
neighbors.  If  so,  the  plan  was  probably  delayed  in  consequence  of  new  troubles  in 
which  the  colony  became  involved.  The  prosperity  which  followed  the  accession  of 
William  and  Mary  was  doomed  to  receive  a  sudden  check.  The  thoughts  of  all  were 
distracted  by  new  dangers.  A  war  had  broken  out,  across  the  ocean,  between  England 
and  France.  William  III  had  formed  a  coalition  of  the  Continental  Powers  against  the 
ambition  of  Louis  XIV.  But  the  French  arms  were  everywhere,  from  the  North  Sea 
to  the  Mediterranean,  all  along  the  line,  proving  victorious  over  those  of  the  allies  ;  and 


FOUNDATION  OF  THE  COLLEGE,  A.D.  1700.  rc 

while  Tourville  was  chasing  the  English  ships  out  of  the  Channel,  and  Luxembourg  was 
driving  the  Prince  of  Waldeck  before  him  in  the  Low  Countries,  after  his  victory  at 
Fleurus,  and  Catinet  was  ravaging  Savoy  with  fire  and  sword,  the  English  colonists  in 
America,  in  their  distant  homes,  became  involved  also  in  the  great  struggle.  For  years 
they  were  obliged  to  put  forth  their  utmost  strength  to  protect  themselves  against  the 
attacks  which  were  made  upon  them  from  Montreal  and  Quebec  by  the  combined 
forces  of  the  French  and  the  savages  whom  they  incited  to  fall  upon  the  border  settle- 
ments. The  cost  of  this  war  to  Connecticut  alone  was  ^12,000.  The  colony  also 
suffered  in  numberless  other  ways,  and  was  especially  harassed  by  needless  requisitions 
from  the  royal  Governor  of  New  York,  who  was  all  the  time  plotting  against  its  liber- 
ties, and  seeking  to  get  control  of  its  militia.  It  became  necessary  for  the  colony  at 
great  expense  to  send  General  Fitz  John  Winthrop  to  England  to  counteract  the  un- 
derhand attempts  which  were  made  to  despoil  them  of  their  rights. 

But  at  last  peace  was  concluded  at  Ryswick  in  1697.  General  Winthrop  returned 
from  England,  after  having  succeeded  in  his  mission.  The  great  sources  of  anxiety 
were  removed,  and  now  the  occasion  was  seized  as  a  favorable  time  for  commencing 
the  college.  We  are  told  that  there  were  many  consultations  and  conferences  among 
the  neighboring  ministers,  in  which  Mr.  Pierpont,  Mr.  Andrew,  and  Mr.  Russel  were 
prominent  and  active.     Various  plans,  as  it  would  appear,  were  discussed. 

But  it  should  not  be  forgotten,  that  in  all  these  consultations  it  was  well  understood 
that  their  plans  were  necessarily  liable  at  any  moment  to  be  delayed  or  rendered 
impracticable  by  the  effects  of  new  complications  in  English  and  Continental  politics. 
Evidence  of  this  appears  even  in  the  letters  which  were  written  respecting  the  founding 
of  the  college,  which  contain  such  allusions  as  these:  "I  cannot  learn  that  the  danger 
is  yet  over  of  our  being  all  slain  at  once  by  act  of  Parliament,  nulling  the  American 
charters."  Again:  "It  is  said  that  the  Emperor's  army  have  had  a  battle  with  the 
French  in  their  passage  into  Italy,  and  the  Imperialists  have  had  the  best  of  it :  "  and 
still  again :  "The  match  seems  to  proceed  between  the  King  of  Spain  and  Duke 
of  Savoy's  daughter,  which  makes  me  fear  lest  Geneva  be  not  at  last  broken  in  upon." 
At  that  time,  every  public  interest  in  New  England  was  as  liable  to  be  affected  by  the 
results  of  the  movements  of  armies  even  in  Italy  and  Spain  as,  in  our  civil  war,  the 
people  of  Pennsylvania  were  by  the  battles  of  Antietam  and  Gettysburg.  As  the  first 
colonists  gathered  in  their  rude  meeting-houses  for  divine  service  on  Sunday  with 
muskets  in  their  hands,  so  in  this  age  the  eye  and  the  ear  of  every  one  were  still 
on  the  strain  to  catch  the  first  rumors  of  the  recommencement  of  hostilities  across  the 
ocean,  which  would  be  sure  to  draw  them  into  the  vortex ;  and,  in  fact,  the  college,  when 
it  was  finally  set  up,  was  destined  to  feel  in  a  few  short  months  the  effects  of  the  very 
storm  of  which  the  information  in  this  letter,  as  an  inconsiderable  cloud  in  the  horizon, 
gave  premonition.     But  for  the  moment  all  was  quiet. 

It  was,  then,  in  this  short  interval  of  peace,  that  the  plan  of  a  college,  which  these 
ministers  had  devised,  was  first,  as  far  as  we  can  learn,  talked  of  in  public.  It  would 
seem  as  if  they  had  already  settled  what  their  plan  should  be.  But,  as  might  have  been 
expected,  efforts  were  at  once  made  to  induce  them  to  modify  it,  in  accordance  with 


X6  YALE  COLLEGE. 

some  of  the  peculiar  views  of  the  times  which  were  now  gaining  strength.  For  thirty 
years,  or  more,  as  the  advantages  of  a  political  union  among  the  different  colonies  had 
been  seen,  there  had  been  a  feeling  in  Connecticut  that  there  was  need  of  some  closer 
ecclesiastical  union  among  the  ministers  and  churches,  for  their  mutual  improvement, 
for  the  regulation  of  their  differences,  and  for  the  advancement  of  the  religious  interests 
of  the  colony. 

This  feeling  was  the  reaction  against  the  extreme  independency  of  the  original 
churches.  The  people  of  Connecticut  agreed  substantially  in  doctrine,  and  in  their 
views  respecting  church  government,  but  they  had  learned  by  experience  the  difficulty 
of  appeasing  the  quarrels  which  had  arisen  from  time  to  time  in  different  churches,  and 
there  was  a  large  and  growing  number  of  persons,  perhaps  not  yet  recognized  as  a 
party,  who  were  desirous  of  having  some  kind  of  permanent  religious  establishment  for 
the  colony,  with  a  confession  of  faith,  and  rules  for  the  administration  of  discipline, 
which  should  be  accepted  by  all. 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  when  the  founding  of  a  college  was  first  publicly 
talked  of,  it  should  be  judged,  by  those  who  sympathized  with  this  feeling,  that  it  was 
a  favorable  time  to  secure  what  they  wished.  If  a  general  synod  of  all  the  churches 
could  be  called  to  initiate  the  movement  and  take  the  institution  under  its  control,  it 
might  help  to  secure  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  for  the  colony.  Accordingly  it  was 
proposed  that  a  synod  of  the  churches  should  be  assembled  who  should  found  the 
college,  or  the  "school  of  the  churches"  as  it  was  called.  Among  the  archives  of  the 
college  is  still  preserved  a  paper  which  was  about  this  time  submitted  to  the  friends  ot 
the  contemplated  institution  by  the  Rev.  Cotton  Mather,  of  Boston,  in  which  the 
details  of  this  plan  are  fully  given.  Such  a  paper  could  not  have  been  drawn  up  with- 
out a  full  understanding  of  the  state  of  feeling  among  the  people  of  Connecticut.  His 
plan  was  that  this  synod  should  appoint  a  President  and  ten  "Inspectors,"  under  whose 
government  the  college  should  be  placed ;  that  it  should  make  a  formal  confession  of 
faith  which  should  be  imposed  upon  the  President  and  Inspectors ;  that  it  should  have 
such  control  over  all  future  elections  as  would  preserve  orthodoxy  in  the  governors ; 
and  that  the  churches  should  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  institution  thus  consti- 
tuted. 

How  much  consideration  this  plan  received,  we  have  no  means  of  knowing ;  but 
it  failed  as  so  many  plans  had  failed  before.  The  reason  is  probably  to  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  the  times  were  not  ripe  for  such  a  synod.  There  was  still  a  large  number  of 
persons  who,  although  they  felt  that  according  to  existing  arrangements,  the  com- 
munion and  mutual  helpfulness  of  the  churches  were  not  adequately  secured,  yet 
looked  with  distrust  upon  a  religious  establishment  for  the  colony,  with  an  ecclesi- 
astical constitution,  or  any  approach  to  it ;  and  the  opposition  to  such  a  religious 
establishment  was  perhaps  the  strongest  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  Haven,  among 
the  very  persons  who  had  been  .particularly  interested  in  the  preliminary  conferences 
respecting  the  college.  It  could  not  but  be  apparent  to  Mr.  Pierpont  and  to  his 
friends  that  if  a  synod  was  called  to  found  a  college,  to  make  a  confession  of  faith  and 
impose  it  upon  its  officers,  and  to  exercise  a  permanent  control  over  the  institution, 


FOUNDATION  OF   THE  COLLEGE,  A.D.   1700.  17 

it  would  be  the  beginning  of  a  centralization  of  ecclesiastical  power  which  foreboded 
evil  to  the  liberties  of  the  churches. 

Instead  then  of  calling  a  synod  of  the  churches  to  found  the  college,  as  would 
doubtless  have  been  more  satisfactory  to  what  may  be  called  the  "ecclesiastical  estab- 
lishment party,"  the  original  friends  of  the  college  in  and  around  New  Haven,  were 
successful  in  carrying  out  what  may  be  supposed  to  have  been  their  view ;  and  it  was 
agreed  by  them,  some  time  in  the  year  1699  or  1700,  that  ten  of  the  principal  ministers 
of  the  colony  should  be  selected  "to  stand  as  trustees  or  undertakers  to  found,  erect, 
and  govern  the  college." 

Seven  of  these  trustees  thus  nominated  were  identified  by  their  places  of  residence, 
or  by  early  association,  with  the  towns  of  the  early  New  Haven  jurisdiction. 

The  first  of  these  seven,  in  the  order  of  academic  age,  was  the  Rev.  Israel  Chaun- 
cy,  of  Stratford.  He  was  at  this  time  fifty-six  years  old,  having  been  born  in  Scituate, 
in  Massachusetts,  in  1644.  He  was  the  youngest  son  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Chauncy, 
the  second  President  of  Harvard  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1661.  In  1664, 
when  instruction  was  to  be  commenced  in  the  "Hopkins  College"  in  New  Haven, 
Mr.  Davenport  had  recommended  the  town  to  apply  to  President  Chauncy  for  an 
"able  man"  as  a  teacher.  It  is  supposed  that  in  answer  to  this  request  the  President 
sent  his  son,  who  after  giving  instruction  a  short  time  in  the  "college,"  was  settled  as 
the  pastor  over  the  church  in  Stratford  in  1665.  With  his  profession  as  a  clergyman, 
he  is  said  to  have  united  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  to  have  had  a  high  reputation 
for  medical  skill  as  well  as  for  general  scholarship.  He  had  been  the  minister  of  Strat- 
ford for  thirty-five  years,  and  having  thus  spent  his  life  in  a  town  so  near  New  Haven, 
and  having  once  resided  in  New  Haven  as  a  teacher,  he  was  probably  early  informed 
of  the  plans  of  Mr.  Pierpont  and  Mr.  Andrew  and  Mr.  Russel,  and  invited  to  share 
in  their  consultations. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Buckingham,  of  Saybrook,  was  the  only  one  of  the  trustees  who 
had  not  received  a  degree  from  Harvard  College.  He  obtained  his  classical  education 
in  the  "Hopkins  College"  in  New  Haven.  He  was  now  fifty-four  years  of  age,  having 
been  born  in  Milford  in  1646.  His  father  was  one  of  the  most  respected  of  the  early 
colonists  in  Milford,  having  been  one  of  the  seven  "pillars"  who  were  chosen  to  begin 
the  church  in  that  town.  Not  far  from  1666  he  had  become  the  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Saybrook,  where  for  thirty-four  years  he  had  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
able  men  in  the  colony. 

The  third  in  the  order  of  academic  age  was  the  Rev.  Abraham  Pierson,  of  Kenil- 
worth  (now  Clinton),*  who  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1668.  He  was  born  in 
1645.  His  father,  of  the  same  name,  was  one  of  the  most  learned  and  able  of  the  early 
colonists  of  New  England ;  having  been  educated  in  the  University  of  Cambridge  in 
England,  where  he  received  his  first  degree  in  1632.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1639, 
and  took  up  his  abode  in  Lynn.      Shortly  after,  he  went  to  Long  Island  with  a  com- 

*  Kenilworth  was  the  name  given  to  the  town,  in  1667,  by  the  first  settlers,  after  the  town  in  Warwickshire,  England,  from 
which   some  of  them  had  emigrated.     This  name  passed  through  several  transformations;   till,  in   1707,  it  appears  in  the  town 
records  as  Killingworth  ;  and  was  called  so  till  the  south  part  of  the  original  Kenilworth  was  constituted  a  new  town  in  the  present 
century,  and  received  the  name  of  Clinton. 
VOL.  1. — 3 


x8  YALE  COLLEUJ:. 

pany  of  people  whom  he  had  gathered  while  yet  in  Lynn  into  a  church  of  which  he 
was  constituted  pastor,  and  with  them  founded  on  the  eastern  end  of  Long  Island  the 
town  of  Southampton.  His  sympathies  with  the  views  of  Dr.  Davenport  concerning 
the  constitution  of  a  civil  state  and  its  subjection  to  the  church  were  such  that  in  1647 
he  removed  with  a  part  of  his  church  to  Branford  that  he  might  live  under  the  New- 
Haven  jurisdiction.  In  1662,  when  the  territory  of  the  colony  of  New  Haven  was 
given  to  Connecticut  by  the  charter  which  was  obtained  by  Governor  Winthrop,  he 
sided  warmly  with  Mr.  Davenport  in  his  opposition  to  the  union,  and  when  that  union 
finally  took  place,  his  feelings  were  so  outraged  that  with  the  larger  part  of  his  church 
he  removed  once  more  ana1  founded  the  town  of  Newark,  New  Jersey.  He  gave  a  code 
of  laws  to  the  people  who  went  with  him  modeled  on  the  code  of  the  old  New  Haven 
jurisdiction,  and  remained  with  them  as  their  pastor  till  his  death,  greatly  beloved  and 
honored  by  all.  In  his  will,  he  bequeathed  to  his  son,  who  had  been  for  the  six  last 
years  of  his  life  his  colleague,  his  library,  which  consisted  of  four  hundred  and  forty 
books.  The  son  succeeded  his  father  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  Newark  in  1678,  but 
fourteen  years  after,  in  consequence  of  some  differences  of  opinion  which  arose  between 
him  and  the  people  on  the  subject  of  church  government,  he  left  Newark  and  came  to 
Connecticut.  In  1694  he  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  Kenilworth.  He 
took  a  prominent  place  at  once  among  the  ministers  of  the  colony  and  was  known  as 
an  able  scholar.  He  was  interested  in  Science,  and  had  prepared  a  text-book  on  Natu- 
ral Philosophy.  It  may  be  mentioned  also  in  this  connection  that  he  was  the  uncle  by 
marriage  of  Mr.  Pierpont,  his  sister  being  the  mother  of  Abigail  Davenport,  grand- 
daughter of  John  Davenport,  whom  Mr.  Pierpont  had  married.  Thus  by  early  associa- 
tion, and  by  family  connection,  Mr.  Pierson  was  thoroughly  identified  with  all  that  was 
distinctive  in  the  history  of  New  Haven.      He  was  now  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

The  next  of  the  trustees  in  academic  age  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Andrew,  of  Milford, 
of  whom  mention  has  already  been  made,  as  one  of  the  first  to  be  interested  in  the 
project.  He  was  now  forty-four  years  old,  and  had  been  settled  in  Milford  fifteen 
years,  and  as  the  son-in-law  of  Governor  Treat,  was  still  further  identified  with  the 
interests  of  that  part  of  the  colony  which  was  once  within  the  New  Haven  jurisdiction. 

The  Rev.  James  Pierpont  came  next  in  order.  He  was  now  forty-one  years  old, 
and  it  was  fifteen  years  since  he  was  ordained  in  New  Haven.  The  significant  fact 
that  he  married  the  granddaughter  of  Mr.  Davenport  has  already  been  mentioned. 

The  Rev.  Noadiah  Russel,  of  Middletown,  was  a  native  of  New  Haven.  His 
parents  had  been  among  the  original  settlers.  When  yet  a  child,  on  the  death  of  his 
father,  he  had  been  taken  by  some  of  his  relatives  to  Massachusetts.  Then,  after 
having  been  fitted  for  college,  he  entered  as  a  student  at  Harvard,  and  graduated 
in  1 68 1,  in  the  same  class  with  Mr.  Pierpont  and  Mr.  Samuel  Russel,  of  Branford. 
He  came  to  the  pulpit  in  Middletown  in  1688  and  in  1700  was  forty-two  years  old. 

The  last  trustee  of  the  seven  to  whom  reference  has  been  made,  was  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Webb.  He  was  settled  as  the  pastor  of  the  church  in  Fairfield,  the  town 
adjoining  Stratford  on  the  west,  in  1694.  The  geographical  position  of  Fairfield 
would  naturally  lead  him  to  be  acquainted  with  and  interested  in  any  project  which  was 
started  in  New  Haven. 


FOUNDATION  OF  THE   COLLEGE,  A.D.  1700.  I9 

Of  the  remaining-  three  trustees,  who  seem  to  have  been  selected  at  large  from 
the  ministers  of  the  colony  who  lived  more  remote,  the  eldest  was  the  Rev.  James 
Noyes,  of  Stonington.  He  was  now  in  his  sixty-first  year,  having  been  born  in  New- 
bury, Massachusetts,  in  1640,  where  his  father,  of  the  same  name,  and  his  uncle,  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Parker,  were  among  the  most  prominent  of  the  ministers  of  their  time. 
Mr.  Noyes  had  been  the  minister  in  Stonington  for  thirty-six  years.  He  was  the 
leading  minister  of  the  colony ;  and  was  usually  invited  to  preside  as  moderator  at 
councils  and  other  meetings  of  the  clergy.  On  account  of  his  age,  and  the  great 
respect  in  which  he  was  universally  held,  it  must  have  been  considered  to  be  very 
important  to  have  the  benefit  of  his  name  and  of  his  services. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Mather,  closely  connected  with  the  celebrated  Mather  family  of 
Boston,  had  acquired  great  reputation  by  the  judicious  course  which  he  had  pursued  in 
harmonizing  two  antagonistic  parties  in  the  town  of  Windsor,  who  were  engaged  in 
bitter  strife  at  the  time  that  he  began  in  1682  to  preach  in  that  place.  Their  conten- 
tions had  proceeded  to  such  a  length  that  it  had  been  deemed  necessary  that  the 
legislature  should  interfere.  Mr.  Mather  succeeded  in  uniting  both  parties  and  the 
whole  town  under  his  ministry  ;  so  that,  ever  after,  all  their  ecclesiastical  affairs  were 
conducted  with  harmony  and  brotherly  affection.  Having  graduated  at  Harvard  in  the 
Class  of  167 1,  he  was  over  fifty  years  of  age.  It  was  undoubtedly  felt  that  the  influence 
of  his  name  was  needed  for  the  purpose  of  securing  friends  to  the  college  among  the 
people  of  the  river  towns  and  in  the  more  northern  part  of  the  colony.  It  is  doubtful, 
however,  whether  he  ever  attended  a  meeting  of  the  trustees,  or  more  than  one. 

For  the  same  reason  that  Mr.  Mather  was  nominated  as  a  trustee,  it  must  have  been 
considered  even  more  important  that  the  co-operation  of  the  Rev.  Timothy  Wood- 
bridge,  of  Hartford,  should  be  secured.  Since  1665,  when  the  New  Haven  colony  had 
been  forced  to  yield  up  its  existence,  and  suffer  its  territory  to  come  under  the  authority 
of  Connecticut,  there  had  been  mutual  distrust  and  jealousy  between  the  two  towns  of 
Hartford  and  New  Haven.  But  it  was  necessary  now  that  Hartford  should  be  propiti- 
ated, and  that  it  should  have  a  representation  in  the  Board  of  Trustees.  There  was  an 
additional  reason  in  the  fact  that  no  minister  in  the  colony  had  a  higher  reputation  for 
learning,  for  wisdom  in  counsel,  and  for  public  spirit,  or  had  gained  more  completely 
the  general  confidence.  His  bodily  presence  is  spoken  of  as  something  unusually  pre- 
possessing and  such  as  commanded  the  reverence  of  all.  He  was  a  classmate  also  of 
Mr.  Andrew,  having  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1675,  and  was  ordained  in  Hartford  the 
same  day  on  which  Mr.  Andrew  was  ordained  in  Milford.  He  was  forty-four  years  of 
age. 

Mr.  Noyes  was  then  the  oldest  of  all  the  trustees,  being  sixty-one  years  of  age,  and 
Mr.  Pierpont  and  Mr.  Webb  the  youngest,  Mr.  Pierpont  being  forty-one  years  of  age 
and  Mr.  Webb  about  thirty-four. 

It  would  seem  from  the  account  given  by  President  Clap,  that  some  time  in  the  year 
1700,*  these  trustees,  or  a  sufficient  number  of  them  to  make  a  quorum,  met  in  New 

*  I  can,  upon  good  authority,  inform  you  that  the  design  of  erecting  a  college  in  Connecticut  was  first  concerted  by  the 
ministers,  who  nominated  or  desired  ten  ministers   to  be  undertakers,  partners,   or  trustees  ; — that   these  ten   ministers  were  a 


2o  YALE  COLLEGE. 

Haven  and  "formed  themselves  into  a  body  or  society  to  consist  of  eleven  ministers, 
including  a  Rector,  and  agreed  to  found  a  college  in  the  colony  of  Connecticut." 
Then,  that  they  might  engage  in  some  formal  act  by  which  they  would  acquire  a  legal 
control  over  the  institution  as  its  founders,  they  separated  with  the  understanding  that 
at  their  next  meeting,  which  they  appointed  to  be  held  in  Branford,  they  would  come 
prepared  to  make  a  beginning  by  a  gift  of  books.  At  this  adjourned  meeting,  which 
according  to  President  Clap  was  also  in  the  year  1700,  each  member  "brought  a 
number  of  books  and  presented  them  to  the  body ; "  and  laying  them  on  the  table  said 
words  to  this  effect:  "I  give  these  books  for  the  foundation  of  a  college  in  this  colony." 
There  proved  to  be  about  forty  volumes  in  folio,  and  after  the  ceremony  of  presenta- 
tion had  been  performed,  the  trustees  as  a  body  took  possession  of  them  and  appointed 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Russel,  of  Branford,  to  be  the  keeper  of  the  library. 

The  tradition  is  that  the  larger  part  of  the  books  given  at  this  time  for  the  founda- 
tion of  the  college  were  presented  by  three  of  the  trustees ;  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chaun- 
cy  gave  ten  volumes ;  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pierson,  nineteen  ;  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pierpont,  six. 
In  1784,  President  Stiles  made  a  list  from  the  books  which  were  then  in  the  library, 
which  he  supposed  that  he  had  identified  as  the  volumes  which  had  been  given  at  this 
time.  According  to  his  list,  the  books  were  chiefly  theological  works  ;  most  of  them 
of  an  exegetical  character.  It  is,  however,  very  doubtful  whether  much  dependence 
can  be  placed  on  that  list.  But,  whether  it  be  relied  on  or  not,  the  probability  is  that 
the  statement  which  has  been  sometimes  made  is  true,  that  there  was  not  a  single 
volume  among  the  forty  which  related  to  literature  or  to  science.  This,  however, 
is  not  surprising  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  Newtonian  Philosophy  had  been 
introduced  only  a  twelvemonth  before  into  the  University  of  Cambridge  in  England  as 
a  subject  of  study ;  and  it  was  not  introduced  at  Oxford  till  four  years  after.  Even 
twenty-seven  years  later,  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Voltaire  said 
that  that  eminent  philosopher  had  not  a  score  of  followers  out  of  England.  In  the 
domain  of  literature,  too,  neither  the  Tatler  nor  the  Spectator  had  been  commenced ; 
and  although  it  is  true  that  there  was  no  Shakespeare  among  the  Branford  books,  still 
it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  wonderful  spiritual  insight  which  gives  to  the  works 
of  the  immortal  bard  their  special  value  to  us  was  not  understood  even  in  England  till 
a  much  later  generation.  The  intellectual  activity  of  the  men  who  met  at  Branford  is 
not  to  be  estimated  by  the  books  which  were  there  presented.  They  undoubtedly 
knew  that  it  was  important  that  they  should  give  something  so  that  they  might  become 
legally  the  founders  of  the  college,  and  they  gave  what  they  could  spare  from  their 
scanty  libraries. 

There  are  reasons,  also,  which  make  it  highly  probable  that  some  of  the  trustees 
who  lived  at  a  distance  were  absent  on  this  occasion,  and  that  it  was  only  the  trustees 
from  the  neighborhood  of  New  Haven  who  were  present.  The  absence  of  the  trustees 
who   lived   at  a  distance  perhaps  explains   the  further   statement   of   President   Clap 

company  or  society  by  compact  a  year  or  two  before  they  had  a  charter ;  in  which  time  they  often  met,  and  wrote  letters  to 
gentlemen  at  a  distance,  and  received  letters  of  advice  about  the  constitution  and  regulation  of  the  college,  and  received  sundry 
donations  for  that  end. —  The  ansiuer  of  the  Friend  in  the  West  to  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  in  the  East.     New  Haven,  1755,  p.  15. 


FOUNDATION  OF    THE   COLLEGE,  A.D.   1700.  21 

that  "soon  after"  the  meeting  at  Branford,  sundry  other  donations,  both  of  books 
and  money,  were  received  "which  laid  a  good  foundation."  This  library  "with  the 
additions"  was  kept  at  Branford,  in  a  room  set  apart  for  that  purpose,  "near  three 
years." 

It  was  not  long  before  it  began  to  be  doubted  whether  these  trustees  were  fully 
vested  with  a  legal  capacity  to  hold  lands,  and  also  whether  private  donations  and 
contributions  would  yield  a  sufficiency  to  carry  on  so  great  a  design.  It  seemed 
desirable,  therefore,  to  make  application  to  the  legislature  of  the  colony  for  pecuniary 
assistance,  and  for  a  charter.  But  now  a  grave  difficulty  presented  itself  in  the  way 
of  such  action,  which  evidently  caused  serious  delay  in  their  proceedings,  for  we  are 
told  it  led  them  to  debate  the  expediency  of  applying  for  a  charter  "at  several 
meetings." 

The  friends  of  the  college  had  the  experience  of  Harvard  College  before  them 
to  make  them  feel  the  importance  of  acting  with  caution.  It  was  understood  that 
the  power  of  granting  charters  was  deemed  by  the  crown  one  of  its  most  precious 
privileges,  and  one  the  infringement  of  which  was  the  subject  of  extreme  jealousy. 
The  principle  had  been  established  in  the  English  courts  that  the  first  colonial  charter 
of  Massachusetts  was  only  a  private  act  of  incorporation,  which  gave  no  right  to  create 
other  charters.  Furthermore,  on  the  23d  of  October,  1684,  the  lord-keeper  in  the 
court  of  chancery  had  ordered  final  judgment  to  be  entered  upon  a  writ  of  quo  war- 
ranto for  the  vacating  of  the  charter  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  result  was  that  that 
colony,  as  a  body  politic,  no  longer  existed.  Mr.  Palfrey  says:  "The  elaborate  fabric 
that  had  been  fifty-four  years  in  building  was  leveled  with  the  dust.  The  hopes  of  the 
fathers  were  found  to  have  been  merely  dreams.  It  seemed  that  their  brave  struggles 
had  brought  no  result.  The  honored  ally  of  the  Protector  of  England  lay  under 
the  feet  of  King  Charles  II.  It  was  on  this  charter  that  the  structure  of  the  cherished 
institutions  of  Massachusetts,  religious  and  civil,  had  been  reared.  The  abrogation 
of  that  charter  swept  the  whole  away.  Massachusetts  in  English  law  was  again  what 
it  had  been  before  James  the  First  made  a  grant  of  it  to  the  council  for  New  England. 
It  belonged  to  the  King  of  England,  by  virtue  of  the  discovery  of  the  Cabots.  No 
less  than  this  was  the  import  of  the  decree  in  Westminster  Hall."  Of  course  the 
charter  of  Harvard  College  which  had  been  granted  in  1650  by  the  provincial  legisla- 
ture was  also  by  this  decree  declared  to  be  absolutely  void.  After  the  Revolution 
of  1688,  repeated  attempts  had  been  made  to  obtain  a  new  charter  for  the  college  from 
the  king.  Several  drafts  for  a  charter  had  been  made  by  the  friends  of  the  institution, 
which  had  received  the  approbation  of  the  General  Court  of  the  colony ;  but  none  of 
these  had  received  as  yet  the  royal  signature.  Harvard  College  was  consequently  at 
that  very  time  without  a  charter,  and  such  had  been  its  condition  since  1684.  Under 
these  circumstances,  it  is  no  matter  of  surprise  that  it  required  time  for  the  friends 
of  the  new  institution  which  had  been  just  "founded"  in  Branford,  to  determine  what 
course  it  was  best  to  pursue.  The  question  as  to  whether  it  was  "safe"  to  apply 
for  a  charter,  made  the  "several  meetings"  necessary,  of  which  President  Clap  speaks 
in  his  History. 


22  YALE  COLLEGE. 

Meanwhile  some  of  the  ablest  lawyers  both  in  and  out  of  the  government  were  con- 
sulted upon  the  subject,  and  the  college  still  has  among  its  archives  the  opinions  of 
these  gentlemen  carefully  prepared,  with  full  citations  from  acts  of  parliament  and  the 
decisions  of  the  English  courts.  At  last,  notwithstanding  some  of  their  advisers  shared 
in  the  doubts  which  they  had  themselves  entertained  as  to  the  legality  of  what  they  pro- 
posed to  do,  it  was  decided,  after  mature  consideration,  that  it  was  "safe  and  best"  to 
ask  for  a  charter  from  the  colonial  legislature.  They  probably  relied  on  the  ignorance 
of  the  British  authorities  of  colonial  affairs,  or  their  indifference  to  them;  at  least,  this  is 
the  reason  assigned  for  the  course  which  Governor  Dudley  of  Massachusetts  recom- 
mended to  the  friends  of  Harvard  College  several  years  later,  in  1707.  He  probably 
advised,  or  at  least  consented,  after  the  repeated  attempts  to  obtain  a  royal  charter  from 
England  for  that  college  had  failed,  "in  contradiction  of  the  avowed  principles  which 
the  government  of  the  parent  state  had  adopted  and  acted  upon  in  relation  to  Massa- 
chusetts," that  the  old  charter  of  the  college  of  1650,  which  had  been  declared  to  have 
been  no  charter,  and  which  if  it  had  been  a  charter,  was  abrogated  by  the  British  act  of 
chancery  in  1684,  should  be  quietly  revived  by  a  simple  vote  of  the  provincial  legisla- 
ture; thus,  as  President  Quincy  says,  in  his  History  of  Harvard  College,  "establishing 
a  charter  without  and  contrary  to  what  he  knew  to  be  the  will  of  the  British  Sovereign." 

It  was  a  similar  policy  which  the  trustees  of  the  college  in  Connecticut  determined  to 
pursue.  Accordingly  they  wrote  to  Judge  Sewall  and  Mr.  Secretary  Addington,  of 
Boston,  and  asked  them  to  prepare  a  draft  of  a  charter,  which  they  might  present  to 
the  general  assembly  of  Connecticut  at  its  next  October  session.  This  session,  by  a 
happy  coincidence,  as  it  seemed  to  the  friends  of  the  college,  was  this  very  year,  for  the 
first  time,  appointed  to  be  held  in  New  Haven,  according  to  a  vote  passed  in  the  spring 
session.  A  few  days  before  the  assembly  met,  the  draft  of  the  charter  which  had  been 
requested  was  sent  on  from  Boston.  It  arrived  in  time  to  be  used,  but  it  appears  that 
only  the  form  and  to  some  extent  the  phraseology  was  employed.  In  all  of  the  more 
important  particulars,  its  provisions  were  altered  to  suit  the  plan  of  the  trustees,  which 
they  had  already  agreed  upon. 

During  the  session  of  the  legislature,  but  before  the  charter  was  granted,  Hon.  James 
Fitch,  formerly  of  Norwich,  now  of  Plainfield,  one  of  the  council,  in  order  to  facilitate 
the  design  of  a  college,  made  to  the  trustees  the  first  considerable  donation  which  they 
had  received.  He  gave  them  a  tract  of  land  in  Killingly  of  about  600  acres,  and  also 
agreed  to  furnish  all  the  glass  and  nails  which  might  be  needed  to  build  a  college  house 
and  hall. 

The  legislature,  probably  on  the  16th  of  October,*  granted  the  charter  which,  as  is 
customary  in  such  cases,  bears  the  date  of  the  previous  9th  of  October,  the  day  on 
which  the  session  commenced.  An  annual  subsidy  was  also  voted  from  the  public 
treasury  of  ^120  "country  pay,"  equal  to  ^60,  which  was  continued  for  more  than  fifty 
years. 

The  institution  which  now  began  to  have  a  legal  existence  seems  to  have  been  in- 
tended by  its  founders  to  be  in  all  respects  of  the  same  general  character  with  the 

*  According  to  the  opinion  of  Mr.  F    B.  Dexter,  the  present  secretary  of  the  college. 


FOUNDATION  OF  THE   COLLEGE,  A.D.  1700.  2, 

colleges  in  the  English  universities.  It  was  expected  that  the  students  would  live  in 
common,  clustered  around  a  collection  of  books  in  the  house  of  the  Rector  or  Master, 
and  be  provided  by  him  with  board.  Their  conduct  was  also  to  be  under  his  special 
supervision,  and  after  passing  a  satisfactory  examination,  they  were  to  receive  all 
the  usual  academic  degrees  in  regular  course.  But  a  marked  peculiarity  appears 
in  the  phraseology  of  the  charter,  which  has  been  variously  interpreted.  The  pre- 
siding officer  of  Harvard  College  was  known  at  the  time  as  the  President.  The 
charter  of  the  Connecticut  college  designated  the  same  officer  as  the  Rector,  or 
Master,  thus  using  a  still  more  humble  name.  It  provides  that  when  circumstances 
shall  require  that  the  rector  shall  have  assistance  in  the  instruction  of  the  students,  and 
in  the  discharge  of  his  other  duties,  the  trustees  shall  appoint  suitable  persons ;  but  it 
gives  them  the  inconsiderable  title  of  tutors,  or  "ushers,"  a  title  even  yet  more  inconsid- 
erable. Similar  persons  discharging  precisely  similar  duties  in  Oxford  and  Cambridge, 
and  in  Harvard  College,  were  called  "Fellows."  The  charter  speaks  also  in  a  very 
cautious  way  about  the  conferring  of  degrees.  The  trustees  are  empowered  "for  the 
encouragement  of  the  students,  to  grant  degrees  or  licences."  The  degrees  were 
licenses  to  be  sure,  but  from  the  fact  that  the  word  "licenses"  is  used  in  this  connection 
it  would  seem  as  if  there  was  a  studied  attempt  to  depreciate  the  character  of  what 
was  well  known  as  a  "degree,"  by  giving  it  this  inferior  name.  The  same  thing  would 
appear,  also,  from  the  language  of  the  document  written  by  the  Rev.  Cotton  Mather, 
to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made.  He  says:  "If  the  young  gentlemen  will  not 
be  satisfied  without  titles  equivalent  unto  a  Baccalaureus  and  a  Magister,  it  will  be 
easy  to  gratify  them.  He  that  goes  forth  qualified  with  a  testimonial,  and  intending 
the  service  of  the  churches  may  be  stiled  instructus  eccksice.  He  that  goes  forth  in- 
tending to  serve  his  country  in  any  other  capacity  but  that  of  a  divine,  may  be  stiled 
ornatus  patricc."  The  institution  itself  is  called  also  simply  a  "collegiate  school;" 
though,  only  a  few  months  before,  its  friends  had  been  proposing  the  establishment 
of  what  they  did  not  hesitate  to  call  a  "university,"  which  was  to  have  an  officer  who 
was  to  receive  the  title  of  "President." 

One  explanation  of  this  peculiarity  in  the  language  of  the  charter,  especially  the  use 
of  the  word  "Fellows,"  has  been  made  by  supposing  that  between  1636,  the  time  when 
Harvard  College  was  founded,  and  1700,  the  old  recollections  of  what  was  customary 
at  Oxford  and  Cambridge  had  passed  away.  Another  explanation  has  been  that 
such  titles  better  became  an  "inconsiderable  establishment."  True,  the  institution  was 
inconsiderable,  but  it  was  not  one  whit  more  so  than  Harvard  College  when  it  was 
founded.  It  wouid  seem  that  the  true  explanation  of  the  peculiar  phraseology  of  the 
charter  is  to  be  found  in  the  language  used  by  Judge  Sewall  and  Mr.  Secretary 
Addington,  in  the  letter  which  they  sent  to  accompany  their  draft  of  a  charter.  They 
say:  "We  on  purpose  gave  your  academy  as  low  a  name  as  we  could,  that  it  might 
the  better  stand  in  wind  and  weather."  The  circumstances  of  the  case  are  to  be 
remembered.  The  trustees  had  concluded  to  proceed  on  the  plan  of  not  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  British  government  to  what  they  were  doing.  They  knew  what  a 
college  was,  and  what   fellows  were,   and  what   degrees  were,   and  they  intended  to 


24 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


have  all  these  things,  a  college,  and  a  president,  and  fellows,  and  to  give  the  very 
same  kind  of  degrees  which  were  given  the  world  over  in  the  most  renowned  uni- 
versities, though  they  did  feel  compelled  to  write  on  their  parchments  the  humble  word 
"Gymnasium  academicum"  and  sign  themselves  simply  " Inspcctores."  Names  were 
nothing  so  long  as  they  had  the  thing. 

A  charter  having  been  thus  obtained,  a  quorum  which  consisted  of  the  seven  trustees 
who  have  been  spoken  of  as  more  especially  identified  with  New  Haven,  held  their 
first  meeting  at  Saybrook,  November  n,  1701.  The  three  trustees  who  seem  to 
have  been  selected  from  the  colony  at  large  were  absent.  Their  first  act,  at  their 
morning  session,  was  to  make  a  declaration  of  their  design  in  founding  the  collegiate 
school.  They  state  that  their  object  is  identical  with  the  great  object  for  which 
the  first  colonists  came  to  this  country — to  propagate  the  Reformed  Protestant  Re- 
ligion in  the  purity  of  its  order  and  worship.  They  then  express  the  opinion  that  the 
"chief  and  most  probable  expedient  of  securing  this  object  is  the  liberal  education 
of  suitable  youth."  To  this  end,  they  proceeded  to  make  the  general  order  that  what 
was  everywhere  known  as  the  "liberal  arts"  shall  be  taught  in  the  collegiate  school, 
for  the  regulation  of  which  they  then  go  on  to  make  further  rules ;  and  first  they 
decide  that  the  person  under  whose  control  it  shall  be  placed  shall  be  known  by 
the  title  of  Rector.  At  this  point,  the  work  of  their  morning  session  seems  to  have 
terminated. 

In  the  afternoon  session,  the  most  convenient  place  for  the  location  of  the  college 
was  first  made  the  subject  of  discussion.  The  colony  of  Connecticut  consisted  at  this 
time  of  a  little  more  than  thirty  incorporated  towns,  and  its  population  was  scarcely 
fifteen  thousand.  The  towns  of  any  importance  were  for  the  most  part  situated  either 
in  a  line  along  the  sea-coast  or  along  the  western  bank  of  the  Connecticut  river.  Mr. 
Pierpont  had  undoubtedly  designed  that  the  college  should  be  located  in  New  Haven, 
but  the  trustees  were  divided  in  their  opinion.  At  last,  probably  for  the  purpose 
of  not  exciting  the  jealousy  of  Hartford  and  the  river  towns,  the  trustees  voted 
that  "so  all  parts  of  Connecticut  colony  with  the  neighboring  colony  may  be  best 
accommodated,  that  Saybrook  be  fixed  upon  as  the  most  convenient  place  for  the 
present ;  unless  further  consideration — than  the  reasons  now  before  us  occur — offer 
themselves."  Saybrook  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  most  important  towns  in  the 
colony,  although  not  equal  to  either  Hartford  or  New  Haven  in  wealth  and  population. 
One  of  its  special  advantages  was  its  central  position.  It  was  situated  on  the  main 
road  from  Boston  to  New  York,  at  the  intersection  of  the  line  of  towns  on  the  sea- 
coast  with  the  line  of  towns  on  the  west  bank  of  "the  river." 

The  election  of  a  Rector  was  next  in  order.  The  Rev.  Israel  Chauncy  was  elected, 
and  requested  to  "condescend  to  remove  himself  and  family  to  the  college."  After  he 
had  excused  himself  on  account  of  his  "age  and  other  circumstances  alleged,"  the  Rev. 
Abraham  Pierson  received  the  votes  of  the  trustees.  It  has  been  supposed  that  from 
the  first  it  had  been  the  intention  that  Mr.  Pierson  should  be  the  Rector,  but  that 
on  account  of  the  high  reputation  of  Mr.  Chauncy  and  his  age,  it  was  thought 
advisable  to  offer  him  the  rectorate.     Mr.   Pierson  consented   to  take  charge  of  the 


FOUNDATION  OF  THE  COLLEGE,  A.D.   1700.  25 

school  for  the  present,  "until  such  time  as  he  could  give  his  answer  to  a  quorum  of  the 
trustees." 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Russel  was  chosen  a  trustee  to  complete  the  number  required  by 
the  charter. 

The  trustees  next  proceeded  to  define  the  duties  of  the  Rector,  and  made  the  follow- 
ing "orders"  for  his  work. 

They  directed  that  he  should  take  special  care  to  instruct  and  ground  the  students  in 
theoretical  divinity ;  that  he  should  not  allow  them  to  be  instructed  in  any  other  system 
of  divinity  than  such  as  was  appointed  by  the  trustees ;  that  he  should  take  effectual 
care  that  they  should  be  "weekly  (at  such  seasons  as  he  shall  see  cause  to  appoint) 
caused  memoriter  to  recite  the  Assembly's  Catechism  in  Latin  and  Ames's  Theological 
Theses,  of  which,  as  also  Ames's  Cases  of  Conscience,  he  shall  make  from  time  to  time 
such  explanations  as  may  be  most  conducive  to  their  establishment  in  the  principles  of 
the  Christian  Religion."  He  shall  also  cause  the  Scriptures  daily  (except  on  the  Sab- 
bath), morning  and  evening,  to  be  read  by  the  students  at  the  time  of  prayer,  in  the 
school,  according  to  the  laudable  order  and  usage  of  Harvard  College,  making  exposi- 
tions upon  the  same ;  and  upon  the  Sabbath  shall  either  expound  practical  theology  or 
cause  the  non-graduated  students  to  repeat  sermons,  and  in  all  other  ways,  according  to 
his  best  discretion,  shall  at  all  times  studiously  endeavor,  in  the  education  of  the  stu- 
dents, to  promote  the  power  and  purity  of  religion,  and  the  best  edification  of  these 
New  England  churches. 

Such  were  the  "orders"  which  the  trustees  made  for  the  work  of  the  Rector;  and 
that  their  significance  may  be  understood  it  will  be  necessary  to  keep  in  mind  the  fact 
that  the  plan  which  was  first  proposed  of  placing  the  college  under  a  synod  which 
should  require  a  subscription  to  a  confession  of  faith  from  its  officers  had  been  given 
up ;  but  not  for  the  reason  that  the  trustees  did  not  feel  the  importance  of  having  the 
religious  character  of  the  college  properly  guarded.  These  "orders,"  therefore,  are  to 
be  considered  as  the  method  which  the  anti-ecclesiastical  establishment  party,  as  they 
may  be  called,  or  New  Haven  party,  took  to  secure  the  end  which  both  parties  had 
equally  in  view — orthodoxy  in  the  governors  of  the  college. 

The  trustees  then  fixed  the  price  of  tuition  at  thirty  shillings  per  annum  for  under- 
graduates and  ten  shillings  for  graduated  students.  Before  separating,  they  also  re- 
quested Mr.  Pierson  to  remove  himself  and  family  to  Saybrook ;  but,  till  this  could  be 
effected,  they  ordered  that  the  scholars  should  be  taught  at  or  near  the  Rector's  house 
at  Kenilworth.     They  now  appointed  Mr.  Lynde,  of  Saybrook,  treasurer. 

The  college  was  thus  provided  with  a  rector,  but  there  was  no  student  till  March, 
1702,  when  Jacob  Hemingway  "entered,"  and  continued  under  the  instruction  of  Mr. 
Pierson  the  only  undergraduate  till  September  of  the  same  year. 

No  plan  of  studies  was  arranged  by  the  trustees.  They  undoubtedly  intended  that 
the  course  of  instruction  which  was  then  pursued  at  Harvard  College,  with  which  they 
were  all  acquainted,  should  be  adopted  as  nearly  as  circumstances  would  allow.  Ac- 
cordingly it  consisted,  in  Latin,  in  reading  five  or  six  of  the  Orations  of  Cicero,  and  as 
many  books  of  Virgil,  and  in  talking  the  college  Latin  of  the  day ;   in  Greek,  in  reading 

VOL.  I. — 4 


26 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


a  portion  of  the  New  Testament;  and,  in  Hebrew,  the  Psalter.  Some  instruction  was 
given  in  Mathematics  and  in  Surveying.  In  Physics,  the  text-book,  which  had  been 
composed  by  the  Rector,  and  which  has  already  been  alluded  to,  was  studied,  and 
remained  the  manual  in  that  department  for  many  years  after  his  death.  In  Logic, 
Peter  Ramus  was  the  text-book.  Besides  this,  there  was  on  Saturday  and  Sunday  the 
theological  and  religious  instruction  already  described. 

The  first  commencement,  as  the  trustees  had  forbidden  all  public  commencements,  to 
avoid  expense,  and  "other  inconveniences,"  was  held  at  Saybrook,  in  the  house  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Buckingham,  September,  1702.  At  this  time,  four  young  gentlemen  who  had 
before  been  graduated  at  Harvard,  and  one  other  who  had  been  privately  educated, 
received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  and  one  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor. 

At  this  time,  the  number  of  students  being  increased  to  eight,  they  were  put  into 
different  classes,  according  to  their  previous  acquirements ;  and  Mr.  Daniel  Hooker,  of 
Farmington,  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  and  a  grandson  of  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  the  first 
minister  of  Hartford,  was  elected  tutor. 


-■"  "'■■'^■m»^0^et  ft 

THE   CONGREGATIONAL   MEETING-HOUSE   ON   KENILWORTH   GREEN,    A.D.    1703. 


The  college  may  now  be  considered  to  have  become  regularly  organized.      The 
students  were  gathered  in  Kenilworth  in  the  dwelling-house  of  Mr.  Pierson,*  which 


*  Mr.  Lewis  E.  Stanton,  of  the  class  of  1855,  writes,  under  date  of  June  8,  1S76  : 

"A  gentleman,  now  living  in  Clinton  (Kenilworth),  Mr.  Leet  Hurd,  well  remembers  this  house.  Mr.  Hurd  was  born  in 
the  autumn  of  1781,  one  month,  he  says,  after  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  He  is,  therefore,  in  his  ninety-fifth  year.  He  per- 
fectly remembers  the  college  house.     He  says:   'I  can  see  it  as  plain  as  if  it  were  yesterday.'     Mr.  Hurd  tells  me  that  in  his 


MONUMENT   AT    CLINTON,   (KEN  ILWORTH). 


FOUNDATION  OF  THE  COLLEGE,  A.D.   1700.  2y 

stood  to  the  east  of  the  "Green,"  on  the  north  side  of  the  main  road  from  New  Haven 
to  Saybrook.  Here,  as  is  supposed,  they  had  their  lodgings ;  and  here  Mr.  Pierson 
heard  their  recitations. 

In  the  year  1790,  this  house,  which  had  fallen  completely  into  decay,  was  taken 
down,  and  the  heavy  beams  of  which  its  frame  had  been  constructed  were  used  in  tin 
construction  of  a  new  dwelling-house  which  now  occupies  a  position  a  little  to  the  front 
of  the  old  parsonage  and  is  now  the  residence  of  Mr.  John  A.  Stanton.  These  beams 
are  plainly  visible  in  the  cellar  of  the  house.  Some  of  them,  which  were  exposed  to 
view  in  the  original  building,  are  finished  with  care  and  with  an  attempt  at  ornament. 
Directly  opposite  Mr.  Pierson's  house,  on  the  Green,  at  the  period  in  question,  stood 
also  what  was  considered  a  commodious  "meeting-house"  which  had  been  recently  en- 
larged and  beautified ;  and,  in  1 703,  it  is  said,  a  bell,  one  of  the  first  that  ever  rang  in 
the  country,  was  procured  from  England  and  hung  in  the  steeple. 

In  June,  1868,  some  friends  of  the  college  erected  upon  Clinton  Green,  as  it  is  now 
called,  in  front  of  the  present  Congregational  Church,  a  few  rods  from  the  site  of  the 
house  just  described,  a  monument,  eighteen  feet  in  height,  for  the  purpose  of  suitably 
marking  the  place  where  instruction  was  first  given  in  the  college.  The  monument 
consists  of  a  cubical  block  of  granite,  which  bears  this  inscription  :  "The  earliest  senior 
classes  of  Yale  College  were  taught  near  this  spot  by  Abraham  Pierson,  1 701—1707." 
On  this  cubical  block  stands  a  granite  column  surmounted  with  five  large  books, 
beneath  which  are  carved  the  following  words,  which  were  used  by  the  founders  of  the 
college  on  the  occasion  of  the  memorable  dedication  at  Branford : 

I    GIVE    THESE    BOOKS  FOR    FOUNDING    A    COLLEGE. 

There  is  also  the  following  inscription,  on  the  block  below,  furnished  by  Professor 
Thomas  A.  Thacher : 

IN    MEMORIAM 

ABRAHAMI  PIERSON 

VlRI    TNGENIO,    DOCTRINA,    PIETATE    PRAEDITI,    QUI,    UNA    CUM    ALUS    SUI 

SIMILIBUS,    FUNDAMENTA    JECIT    PRIMI    APUD    CoNNECTICUTENSES 

COLLEGII,    CUJUS    PRIMUS    QUOQUE    PrAESES    FUIT. 

But  now,  when  the  hearts  of  the  friends  of  the  college  were  rejoiced  at  the  actual 
establishment  of  the  college,  they  were  obliged  to  encounter  new  difficulties.  Scarcely 
had  the  people  of  Connecticut,  after  the  conclusion  of  peace  at  Ryswick  in  1697,  had  a 
breathing-spell  in  which  they  could  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  industry,  when  war  broke 
out  once  more.  On  the  very  day  of  the  coronation  of  Queen  Anne,  in  May,  1702, 
two  months  after  the  first  undergraduate  had  begun  his  studies  under  Mr.  Pierson, 
what  was  known  as  the  "Second  Grand  Alliance"  was  formed  between  England,  the 

boyhood,  it  was  sometimes  used  for  storing  hay.  This  accords  with  the  journal  of  President  Stileswho  says  that  'it  is  used  as  a 
barn.'  Mr.  Hurd  says  also  that  in  later  years,  when  the  building  had  fallen  into  decay  and  was  no  longer  used  for  any  purpose, 
the  laborers  upon  adjacent  farms  were  in  the  habit  of  going  into  it  for  shelter,  and  sometimes  to  take  their  meals,  and  they  would 
say  on  such  occasions  they  had  been  'through  college.'" 


2g  YALE  CO/. LEGE. 

Emperor  of  Germany,  and  Holland,  against  France  and  Spain  ;  and  the  war  of  the  so- 
called  "Spanish  Succession"  commenced.  The  colonists  in  America  knew  that  they 
were  again  to  be  involved  in  a  French  and  Indian  war.  They  were  well  aware  what 
the  horrors  of  such  a  war  were,  and  were  beginning  to  prepare  in  earnest  for  the  ap- 
proaching storm,  when  suddenly  the  whole  country  was  startled  by  the  tidings  of  the 
terrible  fate  which  had  befallen  one  of  the  frontier  towns  of  Massachusetts.  In  the 
evening  of  the  29th  of  February,  1704,  Major  Hertel  de  Rouville,  with  two  hundred 
French  and  one  hundred  and  forty-two  Indians,  after  a  march  of  two  hundred  miles  on 
snow-shoes  had  reached  the  neighborhood  of  Deerfield,  and  the  next  morning,  before 
the  unsuspicious  inhabitants  were  wakened  from  their  slumber,  had  burst  in  upon  them. 
The  details  of  the  terrible  massacre  which  ensued  will  never  cease  to  have  a  prominent 
place  in  American  history.  They  are  fresh  to-day  in  the  memory  of  every  school-boy. 
But  the  effect  of  that  tale  of  horror  at  the  time  on  the  scattered  inhabitants  can  by  no 
possibility  be  now  appreciated.  All  New  England  was  in  consternation.  Says  Mr. 
Bancroft:  "All  along  the  frontier,  there  was  not  a  night  but  the  sentinel  was  abroad; 
not  a  mother  lulled  her  infant  to  rest,  but  knew  that  before  morning  the  tomahawk 
might  crush  its  infant  skull." 

At  once,  Connecticut  was  served  with  a  requisition  for  a  quota  of  troops  to  assist  in 
the  defense  of  the  "river  towns"  in  Massachusetts.  Another  requisition  came  for 
troops  to  march  against  the  Indians  in  Maine.  Troops  were  needed  also  at  home  to 
defend  her  own  exposed  frontier  in  the  west.  Requisitions  came  also  from  New  York 
for  assistance  in  that  colony.  All  business,  public  and  private,  was  stopped.  Every- 
thing had  to  be  laid  aside  that  the  country  might  be  put  in  a  state  of  defense.  Con- 
necticut was  not  only  obliged  to  take  care  of  herself,  but  at  the  same  time  had  to  go  to 
the  assistance  of  all  the  neighboring  colonies.  She  was  besides  constantly  harassed 
with  needless  demands  from  Governor  Dudley  in  Boston,  and  from  Lord  Cornbury  in 
New  York.  Nor  was  this  all.  In  the  midst  of  so  many  causes  of  anxiety,  powerful 
enemies  had  combined  to  deprive  the  colony  of  its  charter,  and  subvert  its  government. 
Outrageous  misrepresentations  were  persistently  forwarded  to  England,  one  after 
another,  the  object  of  which  was  to  bring  the  colony  under  the  displeasure  of  the 
English  government.  Governor  Dudley  was  scheming  to  unite  all  New  England 
under  his  own  power,  and  Lord  Cornbury  was  endeavoring  also  to  take  advantage  of 
her  troubles  for  his  own  benefit.  At  the  same  time,  the  colony  had  become  involved  in 
a  very  expensive  lawsuit,  in  connection  with  the  lands  of  the  Mohegan  Indians.  The 
colony  agent  in  London,  Sir  Henry  Ashurst,  by  his  prudence,  by  his  personal  interest 
at  court,  and  by  the  interest  of  his  friends,  succeeded  in  baffling  these  repeated  in- 
trigues of  her  enemies,  but  all  was  kept  in  confusion,  and  a  general  feeling  of  alarm 
spread  over  the  colony.  During  all  this  time,  the  colony  was  at  the  expense  of  main- 
taining between  five  and  six  hundred  men  annually  in  actual  service.  Much  of  the 
time  four  hundred  of  them  were  serving  beyond  the  limits  of  the  colony,  in  Massachu- 
setts and  New  York.  Such  were  the  heavy  burdens  sustained  by  Connecticut,  that  at 
a  time  when  the  circulating  medium  of  the  colony  was  scarcely  ,£2,000,  more  than  that 
sum  was  paid  out  of  the  treasury  in  the  space  of  three  years  for  the  expenses  of  a  war 
carried  on  outside  of  its  own  territory. 


STATUE  OF   RECTOR   PIERSON. 


FOUNDATION  OF  THE  COLLEGE,  A.D.  1700. 


In  estimating  the  obligation  of  the  alumni  of  the  college  to  the  men  who  were  its 
founders,  and  who  carried  it  through  those  first  trying  years,  it  should  never  be  forgot- 
ten what  were  the  difficulties  with  which  they  were  forced  to  contend.  They  had  an 
empty  treasury.  The  attention  of  the  whole  colony  was  absorbed  with  anxiety  and 
alarm  for  its  very  existence.  The  young  men  of  Connecticut  had  no  time  to  cultivate 
the  arts  of  peace.  They  were  on  the  frontier  all  the  way  from  Byram  River  to  the  St. 
Lawrence,  giving  help  as  they  could  to  their  brethren  in  Massachusetts  and  New  York. 
The  only  thing,  except  faith  in  God,  which  those  eleven  ministers  had  to  cheer  them, 
as  they  rode  slowly  on  horseback  through  the  woods  to  their  stated  meetings  in  Say- 
brook,  was  the  satisfaction  which  they  received  from  feeling  that  they  were  working  for 
the  good  of  those  who  were  to  come  after  them,  and  the  echoes  of  the  victorious 
cannon  of  Marlborough  and  Prince  Eugene  which  came  to  them  over  the  water  from 
Blenheim  and  Ramillies. 

In  the  midst  of  such  dangers  and  such  disturbances,  it  surely  is  sufficient  to  say  in 
honor  of  the  trustees  that  they  kept  the  college  alive.  The  library  was  brought  to 
Kenilworth  from  Branford.  Mr.  Lynde  presented  the  college  with  a  house  and  land, 
"so  long  as  the  college  shall  remain  at  Saybrook;"  and  in  this  house  the  annual 
commencements  were  held.  In  1703,  there  was  a  general  contribution  throughout  the 
colony  to  build  a  house  at  Saybrook,  or  wherever  the  college  should  be  finally  fixed, 
but  we  have  no  account  of  what  was  obtained. 

Meanwhile  the  trustees  made  several  attempts  to  persuade  Mr.  Pierson  to  remove  to 
Saybrook ;  offering  him  ^50  to  pay  the  expenses 
which  would  be  incurred,  and  a  salary  of  £60  a 
year.  But  his  removal  was  strongly  opposed  by 
his  people.  They  were  very  much  attached  to  him, 
and  were  very  urgent  to  have  him  give  up  all  con- 
nection with  the  college ;  but  the  trustees  were 
equally  resolute  in  retaining  him  at  its  head.  So 
things  went  on  in  this  very  unsettled  state,  when  Mr. 
Pierson  was  seized  with  a  sudden  illness,  and  March 
5,  1707,  in  the  sixth  year  of  his  presidency  and  the 
sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age,  he  was  removed  by  death, 
to  the  unspeakable  loss  and  grief  of  the  college  and 
his  people. 

In    1874,    when    it    was    proposed    by    one    of   the    j| 
friends    of    the     college,    Mr.     Charles     Morgan,    of    5 
New  York,  to    erect  on    the  College  Green,  a  statue 
in   bronze    to    the    memory    of   its  first   presiding   of- 
ficer,  no    representation    or    even    description    of   his    features    was    known   to    exist. 
There   was  only  an  uncertain   tradition   that  he  was    "a  man   of  full  habit  and   of  a 
mild  and  genial  expression."     The  artist,   Mr.    Launt  Thompson,  in   consequence,    has 


RECTOR    PIERSON'S    CHAIR.* 


*  This  chair  is  now  occupied  by  the  President  of  the  college  when  he  confers  degrees  at  the  annual  Commencement. 


o0  YALE  COLLEGE. 

given  an  ideal  representation  of  the  type  of  men  who  founded  the  college.  The  bronze 
statue,  which  is  about  eight  feet  in  height,  is  placed  upon  a  solid  granite  pedestal  six 
feet  high,  and  represents  Rector  Pierson  standing  erect,  clothed  in  his  rector's  robes, 
the  scholar's  gown  and  cap,  with  long  flowing  hair,  and  holding  a  book  in  his  hands. 
It  is  eminently  fitting  that  such  honor  should  have  been  paid  to  one  to  whom  the 
friends  of  learning  are  so  much  indebted. 

There  is,  in  these  days,  a  disposition  in  the  minds  of  some,  if  I  mistake  not,  to  put  a 
low  estimate  on  what  was  done  by  these  founders  of  the  college.  This  disposition 
springs  from  the  character  of  this  skeptical  age.  There  is  danger,  at  the  present  time, 
that  the  critical  student,  carried  away  by  what  he  esteems  to  be  candor,  and  a  reverent 
love  of  truth,  will  feel  that  he  has  done  all  that  it  is  fitting  to  do,  when  he  has  measured 
the  men  who  laid  the  foundations  of  all  our  civil  and  religious  institutions  by  the  stand- 
ard of  the  present ;  and,  because,  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  two  centuries,  he  does  not 
find  documentary  evidence,  that  all  was  foreseen  by  them  which  is  now  familiar  to  us, 
will  decide  that  they  acted  with  no  intelligent  purpose,  and  with  no  proper  understand- 
ing of  what  were  to  be  results  of  their  labors.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  that  was 
the  age  of  action.  Those  trustees  at  Branford,  and  New  Haven,  and  Kenilworth,  and 
Saybrook  were  not  posturing  to  excite  our  admiration.  They  were  so  absorbed  in 
doing  something  to  make  the  coming  ages  wiser  and  better,  that  it  probably  never  once 
occurred  to  them  to  think  how  they  were  to  appear  to  us,  or  to  put  into  high-sounding 
phrases  for  our  benefit  all  that  they  hoped  and  expected.  Surely  the  man  who,  with 
intelligent  purpose,  plants  an  acorn,  and  guards  and  tends  the  "bud  of  hope"  as  it  first 
springs  from  the  ground,  is  entitled  to  be  regarded  by  those  who  at  last  sit  under  its 
shade,  as  the  intelligent  author  of  all  the  happiness  which  that  vision  of  beauty  diffuses 
when  its  branches  have  towered  on  high  and  spread  themselves  majestically  towards 
the  heavens.  So,  John  Davenport  and  James  Pierpont  and  Abraham  Pierson  and  each 
and  every  one  of  those  eleven  trustees  are  entitled  to  be  regarded  by  us  as  the  intelli- 
gent authors  of  all  that  we  see  to-day.  They  may  not  have  known  all  the  ways  in 
which  the  college  was  to  make  its  influence  felt,  but  they  knew  what  a  college  was  as 
well  as  we  do  to-day,  and  if  they  could  return  to  life,  and  walk  about  these  halls,  there 
might  be  much  in  the  applications  of  learning  which  would  excite  their  interest.  But 
they  would  not  be  surprised.  They  expected  that  the  college  would  adapt  itself  to  the 
wants  of  every  age  ;  that  it  would  be  a  leaven  to  work  for  good  in  numberless  ways 
and  for  untold  ages  upon  all  the  interests  of  the  people  who  were  to  be  born,  and  have 
their  homes  in,  and  subdue  to  their  use  this  broad  land. 

The  fitting  eulogy  of  President  Clap  on  the  first  presiding  officer  of  the  college  has 
a  beautiful  ..significance  :  "He  was  a  hard  student,  a  good  scholar,  a  great  divine,  and 
a  wise,  steady,  and  judicious  gentleman,  and  he  administered  the  affairs  of  the  college 
to  the  general  satisfaction." 

The  friends  of  the  college  in  the  centuries  to  come  may  be  thankful  if,  in  the  long 
succession  of  those  who  are  called  to  administer  its  affairs,  they  all  accomplish  as  much 
for  the  advancement  of  sound  learning  as  did  its  first  Rector,  the  Puritan  clergyman 
and  "judicious  gentleman,"  Abraham  Pierson. 


ARMS    OF    GOVERNOR    ELIHU    YALE. 


CHAPTER    III. 

REMOVAL  OF  THE  COLLEGE  TO  NEW  LIAVEN. 

Rev.  Samuel  Andrew  elected  Rector,  pro  tempore. — Senior  class  at  Milford.  —  Other  classes 
at  Saybrook.  —  New  efforts  of  the  ecclesiastical  establishment  party.  —  These  favored  by  Gov- 
ernor Saltonstall. — The  synod  of  1708.  —  Saybrook  Platform.  —  Officers  of  the  college  required 
to  give  assent  to  it.  —  Liberally  interpreted  in  New  Haven.  —  War  of  the  Spanish  Succession. — 
Effect  upon  Connecticut.  —  Ruinous  to  the  college.  —  Peace  of  Utrecht,  A.D.  17 13.  —  Brighter 
days.  —  Gift  of  books  from  Sir  John  Davie. —  Books  sent  from  England  by  Jeremiah  Dummer,  Esq. — 
Governor  Elihu  Yale's  first  gift.  —  Unceasing  efforts  of  Rev.  James  Pierpont  in  behalf  of  the 
college.  —  His  death.  —  Students  dissatisfied  with  location  of  college. —  Dissatisfaction  en- 
couraged FROM  INTERESTED  MOTIVES. "BROKEN  CONDITION"  OF  THE  INSTITUTION  IN  THE  SUMMER  OF  1716. 

—  Efforts  to  secure  its  removal  to  the  northern  part  of  the  state.  —  Last  commencement  in  Say- 
brook, A.D.  1716. — The  only  tutor  resigns. — Trustees  discuss  the  question  of  removal.  —  No 
decision.  —  New  Haven  makes  an  effort  to  obtain  the  college.  —  Favored  by  a  majority  of  the 
trustees. — Vote  of  October  17,  1716,  to  remove  the  college  to  New  Haven.  —  Instruction  com- 
menced in  New  Haven  for  the  academic  year  17 16-17 17.  —  Excitement  throughout  the  colony. — 
Public  meeting  in  Hartford.  —  Rival  college  at  Wethersfield.  —  Action  of  legislature,  May,  17 17. 
— Vote  of  Mr.  Ruggles  challenged.  —  First  commencement  in  New  Haven,  September,  17 17. — 
Building  of  a  College  Hall  begun. — Trustees  summoned  to  appear  before  the  legislature,  Octo- 
ber, 17 1 7.  —  Efforts  to  secure  the  college  for  Middletown.  —  Vote  taken  in  Lower  House. — 
"Great  throes  and  pangs." — Governor  Saltonstall  saves  the  college  from  destruction. — The 
legislature  fixes  the  location  in  New  Haven.  —  Second  gift  of  Governor  Yale.  —  College  Hall  in 
New  Haven  finished.  —  Commencement  of  1718. — The  name  of  Yale  given  to  the  College  Hall. — 
Rival  commencement  at  Wethersfield.  —  Compromise.  —  A  "fitting  house"  for  the  General  Court 
to  be  built  in  Hartford  at  public  expense. — The  final  location  of  the  college  in  New  Haven  no 
"accident." 

Upon  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pierson,  March  5,  1707,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Andrew, 
of  Milford,  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  trustees,  was  chosen  Rector  pro  tempore, 
till  the  services  of  some  suitable  person  could  be  secured  who  would  take  up  his  perma- 
nent residence  at  the  college.  The  senior  class  were  accordingly  assembled  at  Milford 
to  be  under  the  immediate  instruction  of  Mr.  Andrew,  and  the  other  classes  went  to 
Saybrook,  where  they  were  put  under  the  charge  of  two  tutors,  Mr.  Phineas  Fisk,  and 
Mr.  James  Hale.     The  library  was  also  removed  from  Kenilworth  to  Saybrook.     The 

3i 


32  YALE  COLLEGE. 

students  found  rooms  and  board  where  they  could  be  best  accommodated  in  the  town  ; 
and  came  for  prayers  and  recitations  to  the  chambers  of  the  tutors. 

It  is  evident  that  the  college  was  now  reduced  to  a  very  humble  condition.  Yet  its 
history  acquires  an  importance  in  consequence  of  new  efforts  which  were  made  at  this 
time  for  the  purpose  of  securing  its  orthodoxy.  It  has  already  been  stated  that  the 
opinion  had  long  before  begun  to  be  entertained  in  Connecticut  that  it  was  desirable  to 
have  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  for  the  churches  of  the  colony,  and  that  it  was  prob- 
ably in  view  of  this  feeling  that  the  Rev.  Cotton  Mather,  of  Boston,  as  soon  as  it  was 
generally  known  that  it  was  proposed  to  establish  a  college,  submitted  a  plan  to  those 
who  were  interested  in  the  project,  according  to  which  a  synod  was  to  be  called  to 
found  it  who  were  to  draw  up  a  confession  of  faith,  and  impose  it  upon  the  officers  to 
whose  care  its  interests  should  be  intrusted.  It  has  been  shown  that  his  very  elabo- 
rate plan  was  not  accepted,  and  that  Mr.  Pierpont  and  the  ministers  who  lived  in  the 
neighborhood  of  New  Haven  went  on  to  found  the  college  in  accordance  with  their 
own  original  views.  But  in  the  interval,  between  1700  and  the  death  of  Rector  Pier- 
son  in  1707,  the  feeling  in  favor  of  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  for  the  colony  had 
grown  stronger,  and  circumstances  now  happened  which  gave  to  those  who  entertained 
it  an  unexpected  opportunity  of  carrying  out  their  designs.  These  circumstances  it 
will  be  necessary  to  relate. 

A  few  months  after  Rector  Pierson  had  died,  and  before  the  year  had  come  to  a  close, 
the  colony  had  sustained  another  great  loss  in  the  death  of  the  Governor,  Fitz  John 
Winthrop,  December  1 7,  1  707.  In  his  place,  the  Rev.  Gurdon  Saltonstall,  the  minister 
of  New  London,  was  at  once  elected  by  the  assembly  at  a  special  meeting  to  fill  the 
office  for  the  remainder  of  the  unexpired  term.  His  election  was  the  more  remarkable 
as  there  was  a  law,  which  it  was  necessary  to  repeal,  to  the  effect  that  the  Governor 
should  be  chosen  from  the  board  of  magistrates.  But  it  was  found  that  an  emergency 
had  arisen  which  seemed  to  make  it  a  matter  of  absolute  necessity  that  Mr.  Saltonstall 
should  be  elected.  Governor  Winthrop  had  been  for  a  long  time  before  his  death  an 
invalid ;  and  as  he  was  to  some  extent  incapacitated  from  attending  to  business,  he  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  intrusting  his  official  correspondence  to  Mr.  Saltonstall,  who  was 
his  minister  and  neighbor  and  personal  friend.  Mr.  Saltonstall,  besides  being  one  of 
the  most  able  of  the  clergymen  of  the  colony,  had  the  reputation  of  being  also  one  of 
the  best  read  lawyers  in  New  England.  So  it  happened  that  for  a  considerable  period 
he  had  been  in  fact  transacting  much  of  the  most  important  public  business.  It  was  at 
a  time  when  the  affairs  of  the  colony  were  in  a  very  critical  condition.  In  addition  to 
some  complicated  questions  relating  to  boundary  lines,  there  was,  in  particular,  a  suit 
which  seriously  affected  the  interests  of  the  colony,  which  had  been  appealed  in  En- 
gland to  Her  Majesty  in  council ;  and  the  whole  correspondence  on  the  subject,  with 
the  colony  agent  in  London,  had  been  conducted  by  him.  He  had  framed  all  the  in- 
structions with  regard  to  it,  which  had  been  sent  from  this  country.  In  fact,  on  the 
death  of  Governor  Winthrop,  he  was  the  only  person  in  the  colony  who  knew  what  was 
the  actual  condition  of  the  case.  It  was  understood  also  that  letters  had  been  received 
from  the  agent  in  London  asking  for  new  instructions,  to  which  an  immediate  reply  was 


-^^aUtnuML. 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  COLLEGE  TO  NEW  HAVEN. 

JO 

needed.  Under  these  circumstances  it  was  regarded  as  a  matter  of  necessity  that  the 
further  conduct  of  the  affairs  of  the  colony  should  be  left  in  his  hands.  The  assembly 
accordingly  addressed  a  letter  to  his  church  and  congregation,  acquainting  them  with 
the  call  which  he  had  to  leave  the  ministry,  and  asking  them  to  submit  to  the  "dispen- 
sation." The  clergy,  also,  in  view  of  a  statement  made  to  them,  advised  him  to  take 
the  office.  Accordingly  he  accepted  the  trust  to  which  he  had  been  chosen,  and  con- 
tinued to  hold  the  office  of  Governor  by  annual  election  at  one  of  the  most  critical 
periods  in  the  history  of  the  colony  for  over  sixteen  years — a  longer  time  than  any 
person  before  or  since. 

Governor  Saltonstall  was  the  great-grandson  of  Sir  Richard  Saltonstall,  who  was 
one  of  the  leaders  in  the  company  who  came  to  Massachusetts,  in  1630,  with  Governor 
John  Winthrop.  He  was  born  in  Haverhill,  Massachusetts,  March  27,  1666,  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  College,  in  the  class  of  1684.  He  was  ordained  in  New  London 
in  1 69 1,  and  had  gained  a  wide  reputation  for  his  eloquence,  his  learning,  and  his 
acquaintance  with  men  and  things.  He  was  one  of  those  characters  who  seem  to  have 
been  born  to  rule.  His  personal  appearance,  as  may  be  judged  from  his  portrait,  which 
is  in  the  possession  of  the  college,  was  unusually  prepossessing ;  and  it  is  said  that 
there  was  something  in  the  dignity  of  his  bearing  which  at  once  commanded  general 
attention  and  respect.  Anecdotes  have  come  down  to  the  present  time  which  illustrate 
the  impression  which  his  imposing  figure  and  polished  address  made  upon  the  royal 
governors  and  other  officers  from  England  with  whom  he  was  officially  brought  in  con- 
tact.     He  was  now  in  his  forty-second  year. 

Governor  Saltonstall  had  been  from  the  first  a  prominent  man  in  that  party  in  the 
colony  who  were  anxious  to  have  a  religious  establishment,  and  a  general  confession  of 
faith,  and  rules  for  proceedings  in  all  cases  of  difficulty.  As  has  been  said,  this  party 
had  now  acquired  considerable  strength.  Even  those  who  did  not  go  all  lengths  with 
them  seemed  desirous  that  some  more  satisfactory  way  might  be  devised  for  the  stated 
consultations  of  the  ministers  of  the  colony  with  each  other.  So  general  was  the  feel- 
ing that,  in  1703,  the  trustees  of  the  college,  at  one  of  their  meetings,  had  taken  some 
preliminary  steps  towards  preparing  the  way  for  what  was  considered  so  desirable. 
Meetings  had  been  held  at  their  recommendation  in  the  different  counties,  at  which 
plans  for  a  more  complete  ecclesiastical  union  were  proposed  and  discussed. 

Such  then  was  the  state  of  feeling  in  the  colony  on  the  subject,  when,  on  the  first  of 
January,  1708,  Governor  Saltonstall  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office.  Strongly  in 
favor,  as  he  was,  of  an  ecclesiastical  constitution  for  the  churches,  the  assembly  under 
his  influence  issued  an  order  to  the  ministers  and  churches,  at  the  very  next  session,  in 
May,  requiring  them  to  meet  in  a  synod  at  Saybrook  in  September,  at  the  time  of  the 
college  commencement,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  an  ecclesiastical  constitution  for  the. 
colony.  The  synod  accordingly  met  in  Saybrook  the  day  after  commencement,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1 708,  in  the  house  which  had  been  given  by  Mr.  Lynde  for  the  use  of  the 
college  "so  long  as  it  should  be  continued  in  the  town."  Dr.  Bacon,  the  historian  of 
the  synod,  says  it  was  hardly  more  than  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  in  another  capacity, 
for  of  the  twelve  ministers  whose  names  appear  upon  the  roll  of  the  synod,  nine  were 

at  the  time  trustees  of  the  collegiate  school. 
vol.  1.— 5 


34  YALE  COLLEGE. 

There  was,  as  might  have  been  expected,  a  difference  of  opinion  in  the  synod  as  to 
the  kind  of  religious  establishment  which  should  be  set  up.  Mr.  Pierpont  and  the  New 
Haven  divines  were  not  in  favor  of  anything  which  would  abridge  the  liberties  of  the 
churches.      But  at  last  the  synod  unanimously  agreed  upon  three  general  acts. 

First.  They  drew  up  and  consented  to  a  confession  of  faith,  which  is  the  same  in 
substance,  and  nearly  the  same  in  words  with  the  Westminster  and  Savoy  Confessions. 

Second.  They  consented  to  a  general  plan  of  ecclesiastical  government  which  had 
been  formed  some  years  before  in  England  and  was  generally  known  and  approved  in 
Connecticut. 

Third.  They  drew  up  themselves  fifteen  additional  articles  and  rules  for  the  adminis- 
tration of  church  discipline. 

These  acts  comprise  what  is  known  as  the  Saybrook  Platform;  and,  at  the  next 
session  of  the  legislature,  they  were  formally  established  as  the  ecclesiastical  constitu- 
tion of  the  churches  of  the  colony  of  Connecticut.  The  trustees  of  the  college  also 
adopted  them  at  once  and  required  that  henceforth  all  officers  of  the  college  upon  be- 
ing introduced  into  office  should  give  an  assent  to  them. 

The  tradition  is  that  Mr.  Pierpont  drew  the  original  draft  of  the  Articles  of  Disci- 
pline, but  they  were  so  modified  afterwards  by  the  synod  in  their  meeting  that  it 
seemed  as  if  Governor  Saltonstall,  and  those  who  sympathized  with  him,  had  succeeded 
in  gaining  that  form  of  ecclesiastical  establishment  for  the  churches  which  appeared  to 
them  so  desirable.  But  the  Articles,  even  though  thus  modified,  were  still  capable  of 
an  interpretation  in  conformity  with  the  views  of  Mr.  Pierpont  and  of  the  members  of 
the  synod  who  sympathized  with  him ;  and  it  is  probably  owing  to  this  circumstance 
that  they  were  finally  passed  unanimously.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  were  ever  after 
interpreted,  in  different  parts  of  Connecticut,  according  as  the  views  of  either  party 
prevailed.  Such  was  the  strength,  however,  of  those  who  were  opposed  to  them,  and 
such  the  opposition  which  they  encountered,  that  all  subsequent  attempts  made  by  the 
friends  of  an  establishment  to  proceed  further  in  the  direction  of  consolidation  were 
never  permanently  successful ;  so  that  it  may  be  said  that  Mr.  Pierpont,  and  what  may 
be  called  the  New  Haven  party,  though  apparently  defeated  in  the  synod,  in  reality, 
as  was  proved  in  the  subsequent  history  of  parties,  were  successful  in  preventing  the 
independence  of  the  churches  from  being  swallowed  up  by  a  species  of  consolidation 
which  was  entirely  inconsistent  with  their  historic  independency.  The  immediate 
result,  however,  as  far  as  concerned  the  college,  was  that  its  officers  were  henceforth 
required,  before  commencing  their  duties,  to  give  their  assent  to  the  Saybrook  Plat- 
form ;   and  this  they  continued  to  do  for  more  than  a  hundred  years. 

All  that  seemed  necessary  to  secure  the  orthodoxy  of  the  college  seemed  now  to 
have  been  done ;  but  it  soon  became  a  question  whether  the  institution  could  be  kept 
in  existence.  Its  affairs  were  in  a  very  unsatisfactory  condition.  On  account  of  the 
distracted  condition  of  the  country,  owing  to  the  war  which  still  went  on,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  raise  funds  sufficient  to  support  a  resident  rector.  Mr.  Andrew,  who  had  only 
been  elected  Rector /;•#  tempore,  kept  up  from  Milford,*  by  correspondence,  some  over- 

*  The  following  letter,  written  in  1714  by  one  of  the  tutors  in  Saybrook  to  Rector  Andrew  in  Milford,  well  illustrates  the 
state  of  things  at  the  college. 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  COLLEGE  TO  NEW  HAVEN.  ,r 

sight  of  the  institution,  and  Mr.  Buckingham,  one  of  the  trustees  who  lived  in  Say- 
brook,  at  first  exercised  some  kind  of  inspection;  but,  in  1709,  he  died,  and  then  the 
students  were  left  for  years  almost  entirely  to  the  care  of  the  two  tutors. 

These  were,  indeed,  years  of  deep  discouragement  to  the  friends  of  the  college. 
How  discouraging  can  only  be  understood  by  a  reference  to  the  history  of  the  times. 
The  people  of  New  England  were  still  everywhere  living  in  a  state  of  perpetual  alarm. 
The  savages  from  the  northern  forests,  led  by  French  officers,  and  assisted  by  picked 
bodies  of  Canadians,  were  still  hovering  all  along  the  frontier.  Mr.  Bancroft  says  : 
"Children,  as  they  gamboled  on  the  beach;  reapers  as  they  gathered  the  harvest; 
mowers  as  they  rested  from  using  the  scythe  ;  mothers  as  they  busied  themselves  about 
the  household, — were  victims  to  an  enemy  who  disappeared  the  moment  a  blow  was 
struck  and  who  was  ever  present  where  a  garrison  or  a  family  ceased  its  vigilance." 

Such  a  state  of  things  could  no  longer  be  endured,  and  the  feeling  at  last  spread 
through  the  colonies  that  the  Indians  must  be  exterminated,  and  that  the  power  of 
France  in  Canada  must  be  crushed.  The  British  government,  encouraged  by  their 
success  at  Oudenarde,  in  the  summer  of  1 708,  determined  to  take  advantage  of  this 
feeling,  and  proposed  to  the  colonists  to  make  an  attempt  to  reduce  Quebec  and 
Montreal,  and  promised  assistance.  The  proposition  was  hailed  with  joy  in  New 
England.  In  the  spring  of  1 709,  two  armies  were  raised,  one  of  which  was  to  co- 
operate with  a  fleet  which  was  to  be  sent  from  England  against  Quebec,  and  the  other 
was  to  go  by  land  to  make  an  attempt  upon  Montreal.  There  was  now  everywhere 
rejoicing  at  the  prospect  of  putting  an  end  to  the  ravages  of  their  merciless  enemy. 
To  further  the  expedition,  the  legislature  of  Connecticut  issued  bills  of  credit,  for  the 
first  time  in  the  history  of  the  colony,  and  to  the  amount  of  ,£8,000.  But  the  expedi- 
tion was  miserably  mismanaged.  The  promised  fleet  never  arrived,  and  without  strik- 
ing a  blow,  both  armies,  after  suffering  great  mortality  from  sickness,  were  disbanded. 
Connecticut,  out  of  a  population  of  only  about  17,000,  lost  ninety  men  by  disease 
and  death  from  the  quota  of  troops  which  it  had  furnished. 

But  notwithstanding  this  failure  here,  the  armies  of  England  had  proved  successful 
on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean  ;  and  the  British  government,  elated  by  another  victory 
which  had  been  gained  on  the  continent  by  Prince  Eugene  and  Marlborough,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1709,  at  Malplaquet,  resolved  the  next  year,  1710,  to  undertake  again  the  re- 
duction of  Canada.     New  England  was  at  once  alive  with  fresh  enthusiasm.      Every 

"  Revnd.  Sir :  I  purposed  to  wait  on  you  and  to  be  our  epistle  to  yourself;  but  many  things  prevent,  especially  Mr.  Russel's 
absence.  We  content  ourselves  in  sending  one  of  the  candidates  to  bear  this  epistle,  which  is  to  inform  you,  Revnd.  Sir,  that  on 
Thursday  of  this  week,  according  to  the  custom  of  this  school,  the  candidates  were  proved  and  approved ; — present  Mr.  Noyes, 
of  Lyme,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ruggles,  as  also  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hart,  Mr.  Fisk,  Mr.  Mather,  &c.  Our  request  is  that  you  would,  Revnd. 
Sir,  appoint  them  the  Commencement  work.  Moreover,  it  being  granted  at  a  meeting  of  the  trustees,  and  recorded,  that  candi- 
dates in  this  school  may  print  theses  and  a  catalogue  as  in  other  schools,  we  and  they  humbly  request  yourself  would  take  the 
trouble  to  examine  the  theses  and  catalogue  presented  to  you  by  the  bearer.  Please  to  insert  or  reject  theses  as  you  please. 
It  is  also  our  humble  request  that  yourself  would  give  the  theses  a  dedication.  Students  are  all  in  health.  We  always,  Revnd.  Sir, 
request  your  prayers,  knowing  our  charge  is  great.  Our  duty  waits  on  Madam  Andrew.  We  shall  not  add,  but  the  offering 
of  our  humble  service  to  yourself,  testifying  that  we  are  your 

"Very  humble  &  obedient  servant, 
"Saybrook,  July,  26,  1 714.  Jos.  NOYES. 

"To  the  Revnd.  Mr.  Samuel  Andrew,  Rector  of  the  Collegiate  school  in  Connecticut." 


o 


6  YALE  COLLEGE. 


nerve  was  strained  to  the  utmost.  Connecticut  cheerfully  made  up  her  quota  of  three 
hundred  men,  and  sent  them  forward  to  the  scene  of  action.  The  expedition  proved 
in  a  measure  successful.  It  resulted  in  the  reduction  of  the  fortress  of  Port  Royal,  in 
Acadia,  or  Nova  Scotia  as  it  was  afterwards  called,  which  thereupon  received  the  name 
of  Annapolis  in  honor  of  Queen  Anne. 

With  the  opening  of  another  year,  the  tidings  from  England  were  such  that  the 
colonists  had  little  expectation  that  anything  more  would  be  done  to  rid  them  of  the 
dreaded  enemy  on  the  northern  frontier.  The  Whig  party  in  England  had  been  sup- 
planted by  the  Tories,  and  the  people  of  New  England  profoundly  distrusted  Harley 
and  St.  John,  who  were  now  in  power.  They  were,  therefore,  doubly  overjoyed  when 
they  were  informed  that  still  another  expedition  was  to  be  fitted  out  against  Montreal 
and  Quebec.  The  historians  of  the  period  tell  us  that  all  the  colonies  once  more  ex- 
erted themselves  to  the  utmost,  even  beyond  what  had  been  known  on  any  other  occa- 
sion. In  five  weeks,  two  new  armies  were  raised  and  provisioned,  one  to  operate 
against  Quebec,  and  the  other  to  go  by  land  to  Montreal.  Connecticut  voted  three 
hundred  and  sixty  men,  which  was  the  number  demanded  of  her,  and  sent  them  off 
with  four  months'  provisions,  and  in  addition  furnished  the  colony  of  New  York  with 
two  hundred  fat  cattle  and  six  hundred  sheep.  It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  the  course 
of  these  two  ill-starred  expeditions.  It  has  been  said:  "If  the  English  ministry  were 
sincere  in  their  prosecution  of  the  war,  they  were  certainly  the  most  consummate  blun- 
derers that  ever  undertook  the  government  of  a  state."  The  army  was  intrusted  to  a 
brother  of  Mrs.  Masham,  the  new  favorite  of  Queen  Anne,  and  he  was  made  a 
brigadier-general,  while  the  incapacity  manifested  by  the  admiral  of  the  fleet,  Sir 
Hovenden  Walker,  is  almost  beyond  belief.  Both  expeditions  proved  an  ignominious 
failure. 

But  the  Tories  had  come  into  power  in  England  as  the  party  of  peace ;  and  at  last, 
April  ii,  1 713,  a  treaty  was  concluded  at  Utrecht  with  the  ministers  of  Louis  XIV, 
and  Canada  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the  enemies  of  New  England. 

Through  the  long  years  of  this  protracted  war,  the  people  of  Connecticut  displayed 
a  fortitude  and  a  readiness  to  meet  the  burdens  which  came  upon  them  which  are 
deserving  of  all  praise,  but  it  was  in  great  measure  owing  to  the  wisdom,  and  the  firm- 
ness, and  the  patriotism  of  its  governor,  that  it  had  been  carried  so  safely  through  all 
its  dangers.  Governor  Saltonstall  had  been  indefatigable  in  his  exertions.  He  had 
made  large  advances  from  his  own  private  fortune  to  sustain  the  credit  of  the  colony. 
He  defended  the  charter  against  the  persistent  misrepresentations  which  did  not  fail  to 
be  pressed  by  its  enemies  all  the  time  in  England  ;  and  was  always  forward  in  concert- 
ing measures  for  the  public  good  with  the  governors  of  the  other  colonies,  and  per- 
sistent in  carrying  them  out  to  his  utmost  ability.  By  his  services  he  gained  the  repu- 
tation of  being  the  greatest  and  best  man  of  his  day  in  New  England. 

But  during  this  war  every  public  and  private  interest,  of  necessity,  had  suffered. 
The  college,  around  which  so  many  feelings  of  affection  and  pride  had  begun  to  gather, 
was  brought  to  the  verge  of  ruin.  Yet  it  survived.  Year  after  year  Mr.  Andrew  had 
traveled  to  Saybrook,  in  September,  and  "moderated"  at  the  humble  commencement, 


GOV.   ELIHU   YALE. 


REMOVAL   OF    THE   COLLEGE    TO  NEW  LLAVEN. 


7 


where  there  had  never  failed  to  be  a  class  to  receive  degrees,  though  during  four  suc- 
cessive years,  the  largest  class  had  consisted  of  but  three  members ;  yet  the  smallest 
had  never  fallen  below  two.  Now,  however,  with  the  return  of  peace,  brighter  days 
dawned.  An  important  gift  of  books  was  received.  A  gentleman  of  the  colony,  of  the 
town  of  Groton,  Sir  John  Davie,  having  had  an  estate  in  England  descend  to  him  with 
the  title  of  Baronet,  went  to  England,  and  while  there  sent  to  the  college  a  collection 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy  volumes.  A  large  portion  of  them  were  his  own  gift,  but 
others  were  contributed  by  some  non-conformist  ministers  in  the  county  of  Devon. 

The  next  year,  1 7 14,  the  college  received  a  still  more  important  donation  of  books; 
about  eight  hundred  in  number.  They  were  sent  over  from  England  by  Jeremiah 
Dummer,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  the  colonial  agent  of  Connecticut.  One  hundred  and  twenty 
of  these  books  he  presented  himself,  and  the  rest  he  had  obtained  by  personal  solicita- 
tion from  various  contributors.  Sir  Isaac  Newton  had  presented  his  Principia.  Sir 
Richard  Steele  had  presented  "all  the  Tatlers  and  Spectators,  being  eleven  volumes 
in  royal  paper,  neatly  bound  and  gilt."  Sir  Richard  Blackmore  brought  "in  his  own 
chariot  all  his  works,  in  four  volumes  folio."  Rev.  Matthew  Henry  presented  his  works. 
Dr.  Woodward,  Dr.  Halley,  Dr.  Bentley,  Dr.  Kennet,  Dr.  Calamy,  Dr.  Edwards,  Mr. 
Whiston,  J.  Sheffield,  Esq.,  and  many  others,  presented  books  ;  and,  in  the  list  of  the 
donors,  is  found  also,  for  the  first  time,  the  name  of  Governor  Elihu  Yale,  which  was 
destined  to  be  soon  so  intimately  associated  with  the  college  in  all  its  future  history. 

There  were  some  special  reasons  why  it  might  be  expected  that  Governor  Yale  would 
feel  an  interest  in  the  college.  His  father  was  the  son  of  the  lady  whom  Governor 
Eaton  had  married  as  his  second  wife,  and  probably  for  this  reason  had  been  induced 
to  cross  the  ocean  with  the  New  Haven  colonists.  Land  was  allotted  to  him  in  the  new 
town  on  the  Ouinnipiack,  but  he  preferred  to  establish  himself  in  Boston,  and  there 
Elihu  Yale  was  born,  April  5,  1648.  When  he  was  ten  years  old  his  father  returned  to 
England.  His  son  accompanied  him,  and,  after  completing  his  education,  went,  about 
1678,  to  the  East  Indies,  where  he  resided  not  far  from  twenty  years.  He  was  made 
Governor  of  Fort  St.  George,  Madras ;  and  there,  by  his  enterprise  and  industry, 
acquired  a  great  estate,  with  which  he  returned  to  England. 

From  the  letters  of  the  period  which  have  been  preserved,  it  would  seem  that  Mr. 
Pierpont  had  been  for  some  time  in  correspondence  with  Mr.  Dummer  for  the  purpose 
of  inducing  him  to  procure  assistance  for  the  college  in  England.  Accordingly,  with 
this  object  in  view,  Mr.  Dummer  had  sought  the  acquaintance  of  Governor  Yale  and 
had  succeeded  in  interesting  him  in  the  college  so  far  as  to  make  this  small  donation  of 
books.  At  the  same  time  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Pierpont:  "Governor  Yale  has  done  some- 
thing, though  very  little  considering  his  estate  and  his  relations  to  the  college."  He 
says  also:  "He  told  me  lately  that  he  intended  to  bestow  a  charity  upon  some  college 
in  Oxford,  under  certain  restrictions  which  he  mentioned.  But  I  think  he  would  rather 
do  it  to  your  college,  seeing  he  is  a  New  England,  and  I  think  a  Connecticut  man." 
He  adds:   "If  you  will  write  him  a  proper  letter,  I  will  take  care  to  press  it  home." 

This  correspondence  of  Mr.  Pierpont  with  Mr.  Dummer  seems  to  have  been  one  of 
the  last  things  of  importance  in  which  he  engaged  in  behalf  of  the  college.     The  same 


38 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


year  in  which  this  valuable  collection  of  literary  and  scientific  books  was  received,  Mr. 
Pierpont  died  at  the  early  age  of  fifty-five.  He  has  been  well  called  the  Founder  of 
the  college.  More  than  any  other  person  he  is  entitled  to  that  honorable  title.  To 
him,  as  has  been  shown,  first  occurred  the  idea  of  reviving  the  project  of  Mr.  Daven- 
port of  establishing  a  college  in  New  Haven.  It  has  been  seen  that  he  was  not  suc- 
cessful in  securing  the  location  of  the  college  in  New  Haven,  as  he  had  intended,  but 
from  first  to  last  it  had  been  his  wisdom  and  his  care,  more  than  that  of  any  other  in- 
dividual, which  had  guided  the  fortunes  of  the  infant  institution. 

He  died  comparatively  young,  and  the  college  was  deprived,  all  too  soon,  as  it  would 
seem,  of  the  advantage  of  his  counsels  and  his  active  exertions ;  but  one  of  the  most 
honored  of  its  living  alumni — the  Rev.  Dr.  Bacon — has  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
some  compensation  is  to  be  found  in  the  remarkable  manner  in  which  his  usefulness 
has  survived  him  in  each  successive  generation  of  his  descendants  even  to  this  day.  In 
the  first  generation,  "his  beautiful  and  gifted  daughter,  Sarah,"  was  the  wife  of  "that 
wonderful  preacher  and  theologian  [Jonathan  Edwards]  whose  name  is  to  this  day  the 
most  illustrious  in  the  church-history  of  New  England,  but  who  could  never  have 
fulfilled  his  destiny  without  her."  In  the  second  generation,  "a  grandson  of  his  [the 
younger  Jonathan  Edwards]  enriched  our  New  England  theology  with  his  unanswer- 
able exposition  and  defense  of  the  divine  fact  of  the  atonement  for  the  sins  of  man." 
In  the  third  generation,  "a  great-grandson  of  his  [Timothy  Dwight]  presided  over  the 
college  for  more  than  twenty  years  with  eminent  success  and  wide  renown,  and  left  to 
all  the  evangelical  churches,  that  read  or  worship  in  our  English  language,  the  only 
system  of  theology  that  has  ever  become  in  two  hemispheres  a  popular  religious  classic. 
Nor  is  this  all ;  the  humble  collegiate  school  which,  when  James  Pierpont  died,  had  not 
yet  dared  to  call  itself  a  college,  has  grown  [1859]  into  a  university  with  five  distinct 
faculties  of  instruction,  with  almost  six  hundred  students,  and  with  more  than  three 
thousand  living  alumni,  and  its  beloved  president  [Theodore  D.  Woolsey],  with  those 
various  gifts  of  genius,  of  learning,  and  of  grace,  which  so  adorn  the  office  made  illus- 
trious by  his  predecessors,  is  a  great-great-grandson  of  the  same  James  Pierpont." 
Nor  is  this  all.  It  may  be  added  to  the  above  statement  made  in  1859,  that  since 
that  date  the  number  of  students  has  nearly  doubled,  while  among  his  descendants 
of  the  next  generation,  there  are  not  only  representatives  among  the  most  honored 
instructors  of  this  college,  but  of  many  other  important  institutions  of  learning 
throughout  the  country. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Pierpont  the  affairs  of  the  college  fell  into  a  very  unsatisfac- 
tory condition.  There  was  still  no  resident  Rector ;  consequently  the  instruction  and 
the  discipline  were  in  the  hands  of  the  tutors,  who  were  young,  and  who  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  commanding  the  respect  of  the  students.  The  students,  too,  made  great  com- 
plaint of  the  town  of  Saybrook.  They  said  it  did  not  afford  them  proper  accommoda- 
tions, and  that  they  were  forced,  many  of  them,  to  reside  over  a  mile  from  the  place  of 
public  exercises. 

The  trustees  accordingly,  as  they  had  ^125  in  the  treasury,  and  as  an  additional 
sum  had  been  voted,  in  October,  1 71 5,  by  the  assembly  "for  the  building  of  a  college 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  COLLEGE  TO  NEW  HAVEN.  ^ 

house,"  began  to  talk  of  erecting  a  hall  for  the  students,  and  a  dwelling-house  for  the 
Rector.  But  this  only  served  to  increase  the  uneasiness  and  discontent.  It  had  begun 
to  be  perceived  throughout  the  colony  that  the  college  with  its  valuable  library,  and 
now  with  the  prospect  of  permanent  buildings,  was  destined  to  be  of  advantage  to  the 
place  where  it  should  be  located.  The  students  were,  accordingly,  encouraged  in  their 
expressions  of  dissatisfaction,  particularly,  it  is  thought,  by  persons  from  the  northern 
part  of  the  colony,  in  the  hope  that,  if  the  college  was  removed  from  Saybrook,  it 
might  be  secured  for  Hartford  or  Wethersfield. 

Aided  by  encouragement  of  this  kind,  the  dissatisfaction  proceeded  to  such  a  length 
that  the  trustees  at  their  meeting  at  Saybrook,  April  4,  1716,  called  the  students  before 
them  and  inquired  into  the  occasion  of  their  uneasiness.  Thus  questioned,  they  made 
complaint  of  the  unsatisfactory  character  of  their  instruction ;  and  according  to  the 
account  given  by  President  Clap,  "sundry  of  those  who  lived  in  or  near  Hartford  or 
Wethersfield  said  that  it  was  a  hardship  for  them  to  be  obliged  to  reside  at  Saybrook, 
when  they  could  as  well  or  better  be  instructed  nearer  home." 

The  trustees  took  the  matter  into  consideration,  but  were  unable  to  come  to  any  sat- 
isfactory conclusion  as  to  what  it  was  best  to  do.  They  accordingly  gave  a  "sort  of 
toleration"  to  the  students  that  they  might  go,  if  they  pleased,  to  other  places  for  in- 
struction till  commencement. 

Upon  this,  the  larger  part  of  them  went  to  Wethersfield  and  put  themselves  under 
the  tuition  of  Mr.  Elisha  Williams,  who  was  assisted  by  Mr.  Samuel  Smith.  Some 
went  to  other  places,  while  some  remained  at  Saybrook ;  but  these  last  were  soon 
obliged,  in  consequence  of  the  appearance  of  the  small-pox  in  the  town,  to  remove. 
They  went  to  East  Guilford,  where  they  were  during  the  summer  under  the  instruction 
of  Rev.  Mr.  Hart  and  Rev.  Mr.  Russel. 

The  college  being  in  this  "broken  condition,"  and  it  being  now  generally  understood 
that  there  was  a  possibility  that  it  might  be  removed  to  some  other  locality,  subscrip- 
tions were  commenced  in  different  places  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  the  trustees  to 
"set  it  where  it  would  accommodate  the  subscribers." 

A  few  weeks  after,  at  the  spring  session  of  the  legislature,  a  petition  was  presented 
by  the  two  trustees  who  lived  in  Hartford,  Mr.  Woodbridge  and  Mr.  Thomas  Bucking- 
ham, who  had  been  now  elected  to  that  office,  praying  that  the  college  might  be  fixed 
in  Hartford,  and  stating  various  reasons  why  that  town  was  a  suitable  place  for  its 
permanent  establishment.  In  this  memorial  the  petitioners  aver  that  Hartford  is  "more 
in  the  centre  of  the  colony  ;"  that  it  is  "surrounded  with  many  considerable  towns,  upon 
which  account  it  may  easily  be  supposed  that  the  number  of  students  will  be  much 
greater  than  if  it  were  at  any  other  place  which  has  not  the  like  situation."  They  say 
also,  that  "several  persons  of  distinction  in  the  neighboring  province  have  assured  us 
not  only  that  they  will  contribute  towards  the  settling  the  school  here,  but  also  that  they 
will  send  their  youths  hither  for  their  education  ; "  and  furthermore  they  say  that  there 
is  already  subscribed  between  ^600  and  ,£700 ;  and  that  there  is  good  reason  to  expect 
other  donations  which  will  raise  it  to  ^1000,  and  still  further  that  they  have  the  pros- 
pect of  having  the  school  supplied  with  able  and  sufficient  tutors. 


40  YALE  COLLEGE. 

Dr.  Woolsey  in  his  Historical  Address  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  object  of 
these  gentlemen  was  simply  to  obtain  from  the  legislature  such  an  expression  of  the 
opinion  of  its  members,  and  perhaps  such  an  offer  of  pecuniary  assistance,  as  would  in- 
duce the  trustees  voluntarily  to  accede  to  their  wishes.  He  says:  "They  can  hardly 
be  supposed  to  have  desired  the  legislature  to  interfere  in  any  other  way,  for  this  would 
have  involved  a  violation  of  the  charter."  However,  the  legislature,  in  consequence  of 
this  petition,  invited  the  trustees  to  appear  before  them  for  the  purpose  of  consultation 
as  to  what  was  best  to  be  done.  Some  of  them  complied  with  the  invitation  ;  enough, 
it  was  said,  to  make  a  quorum.  They  persuaded  the  legislature  to  put  off  all  action  till 
the  October  session  at  New  Haven.  They  came,  also,  to  some  kind  of  agreement 
among  themselves  that  in  case  they  were  unable  at  the  next  commencement  to  arrive 
at  a  decision  as  to  the  place  where  the  college  should  be  located,  they  would  ask  the 
legislature  to  "nominate  a  place." 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs,  at  the  time  of  the  commencement,  in  September,  1 7 1 6. 
The  day  was  celebrated  as  usual  at  Saybrook ;  and,  as  it  proved,  it  was  the  last  com- 
mencement which  was  held  in  that  place.  Three  scholars  received  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  At  this  time,  the  only  tutor  still  connected  with  the  college  resigned. 
Thus  the  institution  was  left  without  a  single  permanent  officer,  while  the  students 
were  dispersed  through  the  colony.  As  agreed  in  Hartford,  at  the  time  of  the  spring 
session  of  the  legislature,  the  question  as  to  whether  the  college  should  be  removed, 
and,  if  so,  to  what  place,  was  brought  up  ;  but  the  trustees  were  still  unable  to  reach 
any  conclusion.  New  Haven,  where  the  college  had  been  first  thought  of,  had  now 
appeared  upon  the  scene,  intent  on  reclaiming  for  itself  what  it  considered  as  the  off- 
spring of  its  own  soil.  It  had  one  very  important  advantage  in  the  contest,  to  which  it 
is  necessary  to  advert.  Although  in  wealth  and  political  influence  New  Haven  was  far 
inferior  to  Hartford,  still  it  was  true  now,  as  at  the  time  of  the  foundation  of  the  college, 
that  what  may  be  called  the  New  Haven  party  were  in  a  large  majority  in  the  board 
of  trustees.  Of  the  ten  trustees,  seven  were  from  towns  which  bordered  on  the  Sound, 
and  only  three  were  from  the  towns  in  the  centre  of  the  colony.  There  was  a  trustee 
from  each  of  the  towns  of  Stamford,  Fairfield,  Milford,  Branford,  Guilford,  Lyme,  and 
Stonington.  Of  the  three  trustees  who  were  from  the  central  part  of  the  colony,  two 
were  from  Hartford  ;  and  the  remaining  one,  Mr.  Mather,  was  from  Windsor ;  but  he 
was  an  invalid,  and  in  a  sort  of  second  childhood.  No  definite  result  was  reached  at 
this  meeting.  There  was  a  vote  passed,  however,  to  the  effect  that  the  meeting  of 
those  trustees  who  appeared  at  Hartford  in  the  spring,  on  the  invitation  of  the  legisla- 
ture, was  not  a  legal  meeting,  as  it  had  not  been  properly  called ;  and  that  as  a  board 
they  would  not  consider  themselves  bound  by  what  was  then  promised  as  to  asking  the 
advice  of  the  legislature  in  case  they  could  not  at  this  commencement  agree  on  a  loca- 
tion for  the  college.  Being  unable  to  accomplish  anything  further,  they  at  last  ad- 
journed to  meet  in  New  Haven,  in  one  month,  on  the  1  7th  of  October. 

At  this  meeting  in  New  Haven,  October  17,  1716,  eight  of  the  ten  trustees  were 
present.  Two  were  absent;  Mr.  James  Noyes,  of  Stonington,  who  was  prevented 
attending  by  extreme  old  age,  and  Mr.  Mather,  of  Windsor,  who,  as  already  stated, 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  COLLEGE  TO  NEW  HAVEN.  4, 

was  an  invalid,  and  mentally  incapable.  On  a  vote  being  taken,  it  appeared  that  five 
out  of  the  eight  who  were  present,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  larger  subscription  had 
been  raised  in  New  Haven  than  in  any  other  town,  were  in  favor  of  removing  the 
college  to  that  place.  One  of  the  three  whose  vote  was  counted  in  the  negative  was 
Mr.  Moses  Noyes,  who  resided  in  Lyme,  the  town  on  the  Connecticut  river  opposite 
Saybrook.  He  declared  that  he  saw  no  good  reason  why  the  college  should  be  re- 
moved from  Saybrook,  but  said  if  it  were  to  be  removed,  he  should  vote  that  it  should 
be  established  in  New  Haven.  Accordingly,  though  the  two  Hartford  ministers  re- 
mained earnest  in  their  opposition,  it  was  declared  that  a  majority  of  the  trustees  were 
in  favor  of  removing  the  college  to  New  Haven,  and  an  order  was  given  to  that  effect. 

The  tradition  is  that  one  of  the  principal  inducements  by  which  the  trustees  were 
influenced  in  their  determination,  was  the  offer  which  was  made  by  the  church  which 
had  been  founded  by  Davenport,  and  to  which  Pierpont  had  so  long  ministered,  of 
two  very  desirable  lots  of  land,  which  looked  out  upon  the  public  "Green."  One  of 
them  comprised  the  southeast  corner  of  the  present  college  square,  at  the  intersection 
of  what  is  now  known  as  College  street  with  Chapel  street ;  and  the  other  was  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  opposite  square  at  the  intersection  of  the  same  streets.  It  was 
seen  that  these  two  lots  furnished  a  good  site  for  a  hall  or  dormitory  for  the  students 
and  for  a  dwelling-house  for  the  rector.  It  is  interesting,  also,  to  observe  that  these 
lots  looked  out  upon  the  same  "Green"  as  the  lot  which  had  been  originally  set  apart 
for  a  college  by  the  first  settlers  of  the  town  nearly  sixty  years  before ;  and  it  certainly 
was  eminently  fitting  that  the  church  which  was  so  associated  with  memories  of  Daven- 
port and  Pierpont  should  thus  testify  its  interest  in  the  institution  of  which  they  may  be 
considered  to  have  been  the  founders ;  an  interest  which  many  successive  generations 
have  continued  to  manifest  on  all  suitable  occasions  and  in  numberless  ways,  and 
an  interest  which  has  ever  been  increasing  from  that  day  to  the  present.  It  is  gratify- 
ing, also,  to  see  in  the  prompt  and  enthusiastic  action  of  the  people  of  the  town  at  that 
time,  that  they  had  not  lost  that  sense  of  the  importance  of  making  provision  for  the 
higher  education,  which  was  so  conspicuous  in  their  fathers.  The  whole  town  was 
stirred.  Other  towns  of  equal  or  greater  wealth  made  every  exertion  in  their  power 
to  obtain  the  college  for  themselves.  But  New  Haven,  true  to  its  traditions,  offered  a 
larger  sum  of  money  than  any  of  them.  In  the  list  of  subscribers  which  is  still 
preserved,  all  the  older  families  of  the  town  are  liberally  represented.  The  familiar 
names  are  to  be  found  of  Allen,  Atwater,  Dickerman,  Heaton,  Hitchcock,  Hotchkiss, 
Lines,  Mansfield,  Mix,  Peck,  Punderson,  Sperry,  Trowbridge,  Whiting,  Wooster. 

Encouraged  by  this  generous  subscription,  the  trustees  also  voted  at  this  same 
meeting  that  the  building  of  a  collegiate  school  and  also  of  a  house  for  a  rector  should 
be  undertaken  with  all  convenient  speed,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  carry 
on  the  work.  They  made  a  request  of  Governor  Saltonstall  that  he  would  "favor  them 
with  his  advice"  in  what  they  styled  the  "architectonic  part  of  the  buildings."  They 
next  elected,  as  junior  tutor,  Mr.  Samuel  Johnson,  a  graduate  of  the  college  in  the 
class  of  1 714,  afterwards  known  as  the  first  president  of  Kings,  or  Columbia  College, 
in  New  York  City,  and  also,  as  senior  tutor,  Mr.  Samuel  Smith,  who  had  been  the 
VOL.  1. — 6 


42  YALE  COLLEGE. 

assistant  of  Mr.  Williams  at  Wethersfield ;  probably  with  the  hope  that  he  might 
be  persuaded  to  come  from  Wethersfield  and  bring  with  him  the  students  who  were 
there.  The  trustees  also  elected  Mr.  Stephen  Buckingham,  of  Norwalk,  a  trustee  to  fill 
the  place  made  vacant  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Pierpont.  They  furthermore  gave  notice 
to  all  the  students  belonging  to  the  college  that  provision  had  been  made  for  their 
instruction  and  government  in  New  Haven. 

In  accordance  with  what  had  thus  been  decided,  the  instruction  for  the  collegiate 
year  1 716-17  began  at  once  in  New  Haven.  The  students  who  had  been  in  Guilford 
came  over  as  directed,  and  Mr.  Johnson  took  charge  of  them,  and  as  Mr.  Smith,  who 
had  also  been  elected  tutor,  could  not  be  induced  to  leave  Wethersfield,  he  was  assisted 
to  some  extent  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Noyes,  the  minister  of  the  town,  who  was  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  college  and  had  had  several  years  experience  as  a  tutor  at  Saybrook.  The 
students  who  had  been  at  Wethersfield,  who  were  about  half  of  the  whole  number,  re- 
mained there  under  the  tuition  of  Mr.  Williams;  and  a  few  students  continued  to  reside 
at  Saybrook. 

It  is  supposed  that,  in  the  decided  course  which  the  trustees  adopted  at  this  time, 
they  were  encouraged  very  much  by  Governor  Saltonstall,  who  had  now  taken  up  his 
residence  near  New  Haven  in  an  elegant  mansion  which  he  built  for  himself  soon  after 
he  became  governor,  on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  lake  which  has  since  been  always 
known  by  his  name.  It  should  be  mentioned  also  in  evidence  of  the  bitterness  with 
which  the  controversy  began  now  to  be  carried  on,  that  his  motives  did  not  escape 
severe  criticism.  It  was  said  that  he  had  land  in  New  Haven  and  that  he  was  influ- 
enced by  the  expectation  that  if  the  college  was  established  there  its  value  would  be  in- 
creased. In  fact  his  action  in  the  matter  created  so  much  hostile  feeling  that  an  effort 
was  made  at  the  next  annual  election  during  the  excitement  on  the  subject  to  supplant 
him  in  his  office,  which  came  very  near  being  successful.  But  when  the  excitement 
subsided  he  regained  all  his  former  popularity. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Hartford  ministers  and  their  friends  began  to  complain 
that  the  action  of  the  trustees  at  the  October  meeting  in  New  Haven,  in  which  they 
voted  to  remove  the  college  to  that  town,  was  illegal.  They  claimed  that  Mr.  Ruggles, 
of  Guilford,  who  was  one  of  the  five  who  then  voted  to  remove  the  college  to  New 
Haven,  was  not  a  trustee,  having  been  elected  before  he  was  of  legal  age ;  and  that 
consequently  there  were  but  four  out  of  the  ten  persons  entitled  to  vote,  who  had  been 
in  favor  of  the  action  then  taken.  In  consequence  of  this  complaint,  the  trustees  sent 
the  record  of  what  had  been  done  at  the  meeting  to  Mr.  James  Noyes,  of  Stonington, 
who  had  been  absent  on  that  occasion,  and  he  signed  it  on  the  19th  of  December  and 
declared  his  hearty  concurrence  with  every  resolution  that  was  then  adopted. 

But  notwithstanding  the  college  had  thus  been  fixed  at  New  Haven,  by  what  was 
claimed  to  be  a  majority  of  the  trustees,  the  people  of  the  central  part  of  the  colony 
were  by  no  means  disposed  to  give  up  their  efforts  to  secure  it  for  Wethersfield.  A 
meeting  was  held  in  Hartford  on  the  18th  of  December,  at  which  resolutions  were 
passed  and  instructions  were  given  to  their  representatives  to  make  an  appeal  from 
the  trustees  to  the  legislature  of  the  colony.     It  was  claimed  that  the  people  of  the 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  COLLEGE  TO  NEW  HAVEN.  43 

counties  of  Hartford  and  New  London  were  more  in  number  than  the  rest  of  the 
government,  and  paid  the  greatest  part  of  the  money  which  had  been  given  for  the 
support  of  the  college ;  and  that  they  had  furnished  it  also  with  the  greater  number 
of  scholars,  and  that  therefore  they  had  "reason  to  expect  that  in  appointing  the  place 
of  the  school  good  respect  should  be  had  to  them  therein."  They  declared  that 
"the  settling  the  college  in  New  Haven  is  attended  with  great  difficulties  such  as 
cannot  be  easily  overcome,  it  being  so  remote,  and  the  transporting  anything  by  water 
thither  being  so  uncertain ;  there  being  but  little  communication  between  these 
counties  and  New  Haven."  They  denied  also  that  it  was  true  that  a  majority  of  the 
trustees  had  voted  in  favor  of  removing  the  college  to  New  Haven. 

In  view  of  the  excitement  that  was  displayed  in  Hartford  and  other  places,  the  trust- 
ees, at  their  next  meeting,  April  5,  171 7,  at  which  a  quorum  of  seven  persons  was 
present,  considered  once  more  the  acts  which  they  had  passed  in  the  previous  October. 
Mr.  Buckingham,  of  Norwalk,  the  new  trustee,  declined  to  vote ;  but  the  other  six,  one 
of  whom,  however,  was  Mr.  Ruggles,  unanimously  gave  their  assent  to  them  and  sub- 
scribed their  names  to  the  record  of  the  meeting. 

But  the  matter  was  by  no  means  placed  at  rest.  At  the  May  meeting  of  the  legisla- 
ture, in  Hartford,  in  171 7,  a  remonstrance  was  presented  by  sundry  inhabitants  of 
Hartford  and  New  London  counties,  complaining  of  the  action  of  the  trustees.  The 
two  Hartford  trustees  also  presented  a  remonstrance.  They  declared  that  the  question 
was  still  undecided.  They  insisted  that  the  vote  of  Mr.  Ruggles  should  not  be 
counted;  and  consequently  they  declared  with  regard  to  the  October  meeting,  1716, 
that  there  were  at  that  time  only  four  votes  out  of  ten  in  favor  of  removing  the  college 
to  New  Haven ;  and  that  the  signing  of  the  record  by  Mr.  Noyes  so  long  after  the 
meeting  and  at  such  a  distance  could  avail  nothing ;  and,  for  the  same  reason,  at  the 
meeting  of  April,  171 7,  there  were  only  five  votes  out  of  eleven  in  favor  of  the  action 
that  had  been  there  taken.  These  remonstrances  were  considered  by  the  lower  house, 
and  a  vote  was  passed  requiring  the  trustees  to  appear  before  the  assembly  to  explain 
the  reasons  of  their  conduct.  This  resolution  was,  however,  rejected  in  the  upper 
house,  and  nothing  further  was  done  at  this  session. 

So,  in  September,  171 7,  the  commencement  exercises  were  held  in  New  Haven. 
The  occasion  was  a  memorable  one  in  the  history  of  the  college,  from  the  fact  that  it 
was  the  first  commencement  held  in  the  town  with  which  its  interests  had  been,  and 
were  evermore  to  be,  identified.  There  had  been,  during  the  year,  thirteen  students 
in  attendance  upon  the  exercises  of  the  college.  There  had  been  fourteen  in  Weth- 
ersfield,  and  four  in  Saybrook.  Five  students  received  the  degree  of  B.  A.  At  the 
meeting  of  the  trustees,  at  this  time,  the  objection  urged  by  the  Hartford  trustees 
that  Mr.  Ruggles  was  not  legally  a  trustee,  and  that  consequently  there  had  not  been  a 
majority  of  the  votes  in  favor  of  the  removal  to  New  Haven,  was  considered,  and 
to  meet  the  difficulty  they  passed  a  vote  which  they  supposed  would  preclude  all  fur- 
ther objection,  to  the  effect  that  "as  Mr.  Ruggles  had  been  actually  associated  with  them 
for  divers  years,  and  had  attended  almost  every  meeting  without  the  least  dissatisfac- 
tion declared,  or  that  might  be  suspected,  they  accept  him  as  a  worthy  partner  and 


44  YALE  COLLEGE. 

associate."  Shortly  after  the  commencement,  the  arrangements  for  building  were 
so  far  completed  that  on  the  8th  of  October,  the  frame  of  the  new  college  hall  was 
erected. 

Notwithstanding  the  action  of  the  trustees  at  this  commencement,  with  regard  to  Mr. 
RusfSfles,  the  excitement  continued  as  great  as  ever.  It  was  claimed  that  the  trustees 
by  their  vote  had  not  elected  Mr.  Ruggles  to  be  a  trustee,  that  they  had  only  ex- 
pressed their  opinion  that  he  ought  to  be  considered  a  trustee  ;  and  that  it  was  still 
true  that  he  was  not  a  trustee.  At  the  meeting  of  the  legislature  in  New  Haven  at 
the  October  session,  171 7,  the  feeling  was  still  so  strong  that  the  upper  house,  in 
deference  to  it,  were  obliged  to  consent  to  a  proposition  which  was  made  by  the  lower 
house,  to  the  effect  that  the  trustees  should  be  summoned  to  appear  before  the  legisla- 
ture to  explain  their  late  proceedings.  The  trustees  accordingly  appeared,  and  pre- 
sented a  memorial  with  their  answer  to  the  objections  which  had  been  made,  and  a 
statement  of  the  reasons  by  which  they  had  been  influenced.  They  alleged  the  con- 
veniency  of  the  situation  of  New  Haven.  It  was  on  the  sea-coast.  It  was  peculiarly 
accessible  to  the  western  colonies  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  and  was  on  the  high- 
road from  Boston  to  New  York.  They  spoke  of  the  agreeableness  of  the  air  and  soil, 
and  of  the  ease  and  cheapness  with  which  students  could  be  provided  with  what  was 
necessary  for  their  support,  and  also  finally  they  stated  that  the  largest  sum  of  money 
by  far  had  been  subscribed  in  New  Haven  for  building  a  college  house,  "without  which 
they  had  not  sufficient  to  defray  the  charge." 

The  statement  made  by  the  trustees  did  not  satisfy  the  lower  house.  They  re- 
solved now  to  proceed  as  if  the  matter  fell  within  their  jurisdiction,  and  they  took  a 
vote  on  the  claims  of  different  towns  to  have  the  college.  Meanwhile  the  people  of 
the  central  part  of  the  colony  had  agreed  to  concentrate  their  forces  on  an  effort  to  ob- 
tain the  college  for  Middletown.  So  the  result  was  that  the  vote  stood  for  Middletown, 
thirty-five,  for  New  Haven,  thirty-two,  and  for  Saybrook,  six. 

And  now  at  this  crisis  the  college  would  have  been  hopelessly  ruined,  in  this  struggle 
of  the  warring  parties,  had  it  not  been  for  the  influence  of  Governor  Saltonstall. 
Guided  by  him  the  upper  house  planted  itself  firmly  upon  the  ground  that  the  trustees 
had  a  right  to  decide  where  the  college  should  be  located ;  that  they  had  so  decided  at 
a  legal  meeting ;  and  that  all  objections  to  the  validity  of  the  proceedings  were 
frivolous.  Then,  after  a  full  statement  had  been  made  before  the  two  houses  as- 
sembled in  joint  session,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Davenport,  of  Stamford,  in  behalf  of  the 
trustees ;  and  one  of  the  minority  had  also  been  heard,  the  upper  house,  according  to 
the  account  of  a  contemporary  writer:  "All  as  one  man  agreed  that  they  would  advise 
the  trustees  settling  the  school  at  New  Haven  to  go  on  with  it;  esteeming  their 
cause  just  and  good ;  and  they  sent  it  down  to  the  lower  house,  where  there  were 
great  throes  and  pangs  and  controversy  and  mighty  strugglings ;  at  length  they  put 
it  to  vote,  and  there  were  six  more  for  the  side  of  New  Haven  than  the  contrary ; 
and  thus,  at  length,  the  up  river  party  had  their  will  in  having  the  school  settled  by 
the  General  Court,  though  sorely  against  their  will,  at  New  Haven."  The  assembly 
then  passed  the  following  vote,   viz:     "That  under  the   present  circumstances  of  the 


71 


& 


I! 


IS  V! 


J 


,-■■  -^ 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  COLLEGE  TO  NEW  HAVEN.  ^ 

affairs  of  the  collegiate  school,  the  reverend  trustees  be  advised  to  proceed  in  that 
affair ;  and  to  finish  the  house  that  they  have  built  in  New  Haven  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  the  scholars  belonging  to  the  collegiate  school." 

A  few  days  after  this  action  of  the  legislature,  October  30,  171 7,  the  trustees,  with  the 
hope  of  propitiating  the  Hartford  people  and  bringing  the  contest  to  an  end,  elected 
Mr.  Elisha  Williams  senior  tutor ;  and  still  further,  to  remove,  as  they  said,  the  scruples 
and  doubts  of  any  on  the  account  of  Mr.  Ruggles,  they  formally  elected  him  a  trustee. 

But  notwithstanding  the  vote  of  the  assembly,  and  the  election  of  Mr.  Williams  as 
tutor,  the  scholars  who  had  been  at  Wethersfield,  who  were  about  twenty-four  in 
number,  were  encouraged  to  remain  there  during  the  collegiate  year,  171 7-1 8;  and  at 
the  following  May  session  of  the  legislature,  the  influence  of  the  Hartford  party 
was  such  that  the  lower  house  were  actually  induced  to  vote:  "That  the  trustees 
be  desired  to  consent  that  the  commencements  should  be  held  interchangeably,  one 
year  at  Wethersfield,  and  one  at  New  Haven,  till  the  place  of  the  school  be  fully 
determined."  The  upper  house,  however,  would  not  listen  to  such  a  proposition  for 
a  moment;  and  voted  that  "the  place  of  the  school  was  fully  determined  already 
by  the  indisputable  votes  of  the  trustees,  and  the  subsequent  advice  of  the  assembly 
thereupon  ;  and  therefore  they  did  not  concur." 

The  collegiate  year  171 7— 18  was  one  which  was  full  of  anxiety  to  the  trustees, 
but  there  were  some  gleams  of  sunshine.  They  were  encouraged  by  receiving  several 
valuable  donations.  Governor  Saltonstall  gave  £50  sterling,  and  Mr.  Jahaleel  Bren- 
ton,  of  Newport,  gave  a  similar  sum.  The  people  of  New  Haven  continued  to  show 
their  interest  in  the  college  by  gifts  of  various  kinds.  Mr.  Joseph  Peck  conveyed 
to  the  college  two  acres  of  land  in  the  Yorkshire  quarter.  The  proprietors  of  New 
Haven  gave  eight  acres  adjoining  it;  and  forty  acres  more  "near  Samuel  Cooper's 
house."  Seventy-six  volumes  were  received  for  the  library  from  Mr.  Dummer,  the 
colony  agent  in  England.  But  by  far  the  most  liberal  donation  was  one  which  was 
sent  to  the  college  by  Governor  Elihu  Yale.  It  has  already  been  stated  that  in  1 714 
he  had  sent  forty  volumes,  in  the  collection  of  books  which  was  then  forwarded  by 
Mr.  Dummer.  In  171 7,  he  had  sent  three  hundred  additional  volumes;  and  now  in 
the  summer  of  1 718,  goods  to  the  value  of  ^200  arrived  at  Boston,  besides  the  king's 
picture  and  arms,  which  were  sent  by  him  as  a  further  donation. 

With  these  gifts  the  trustees  were  able  to  finish  the  College  Hall,  so  that  by  com- 
mencement it  was  fit  for  the  reception  of  the  students.  The  building  stood  at  the 
intersection  of  College  and  Chapel  streets,  about  twenty  feet  from  Chapel  street,  and 
as  many  from  College  street.  According  to  the  account  of  it  which  is  given  in  Presi- 
dent Clap's  history  it  was  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  long,  twenty-two  feet  broad, 
and  three  stories  high.  It  contained  near  fifty  studies,  "in  convenient  chambers."  On 
the  lower  floor,  at  the  south  end,  was  a  long  room  which  served  as  a  dining-hall ; 
and  behind  it  was  a  small  addition  extending  at  right  angles  from  the  main  building, 
which  was  designed  to  be  used  as  a  kitchen.  Over  the  hall,  in  the  second  story, 
was  another  room  which  was  set  apart  for  the  library.  The  cost  of  the  building 
is  estimated  at  ^1000  sterling.     It  must  be  confessed,  if  Governor  Saltonstall  favored 


46  YALE  COLLEGE. 

the  trustees,  as  they  requested,  with  his  advice  in  the  "architectonic  part"  of  the  build- 
ing— which  as  will  be  noticed  was  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  long  by  twenty-two 
feet  wide — it  certainly  did  not  reflect  any  great  degree  of  credit  on  his  taste,  or  his 
acquaintance  with  the  fine  arts. 

The  commencement  in  September,  1718,  was  a  memorable  occasion,  and  was  cele- 
brated in  public ;  and  in  a  style  which  far  surpassed  anything  which  had  been  known 
before  in  the  history  of  the  college.  There  was  a  great  concourse  of  spectators. 
Besides  the  trustees,  there  were  present  Governor  Saltonstall,  Deputy-Governor  Gould, 
sundry  of  the  worshipful  assistants,  the  judges  of  the  circuit,  and  a  great  number 
of  the  reverend  ministers.  Among  the  guests  was  also  the  Hon.  William  Taylor,  who 
appeared  as  the  representative  of  Governor  Yale.  In  the  morning,  the  trustees  first 
met  in  the  hall  of  the  new  college,  and  there  solemnly  named  the  building  Yale 
College,  to  perpetuate,  as  was  stated  in  a  contemporary  account,  "the  memory  of  the 
Hon.  Governor  Elihu  Yale,  Esq.,  of  London,  who  had  granted  so  liberal  and  bountiful 
a  donation  for  the  perfecting  and  adorning  it."  Colonel  Taylor  then  represented 
Governor  Yale  in  a  speech,  and  expressed  great  satisfaction  at  what  he  saw.  After 
this  ceremony  was  completed,  a  procession  was  formed  which  passed  to  the  church,  and 
there  the  exercises  of  commencement  were  carried  on.  "In  which  affair,  in  the  first 
place,  after  prayer,  an  oration  was  had  by  the  salutatory  orator,  James  Pierpont,  and 
then  the  disputations  as  usual ;  which  concluded,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Davenport  (one  of  the 
trustees,  and  minister  of  Stamford)  offered  an  excellent  oration  in  Latin,  expressing 
their  thanks  to  Almighty  God  and  Mr.  Yale  under  him  for  so  public  a  favor,  and  so 
great  regard  to  our  languishing  school.  After  which  were  graduated  ten  young  men  ; 
whereupon  the  Hon.  Governor  Saltonstall  in  a  Latin  speech  congratulated  the  trustees 
on  their  success,  and  on  the  comfortable  appearance  of  things  with  relation  to  their 
school.  All  which  ended,  the  gentlemen  returned  to  the  college  hall  where  they  were 
entertained  with  a  splendid  dinner,  and  the  ladies  at  the  same  time  were  also  en- 
tertained in  the  library ;  after  which  they  sang  the  four  first  verses  in  the  65th  Psalm  ; 
and  so  the  day  ended." 

President  Clap  in  his  history  of  the  college  says:  "On  the  same  day  upon  which  the 
commencement  was  carried  on  at  New  Haven,  something  like  a  commencement  was 
carried  on  at  Wethersfield,  before  a  large  number  of  spectators.  Five  scholars,  who 
were  originally  of  the  class  which  now  took  their  degrees  at  New  Haven,  performed 
public  exercises.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Woodbridge  acted  as  moderator,  and  he  and  Mr.  Buck- 
ingham and  other  ministers  present  signed  certificates  that  they  judged  them  to  be 
worthy  of  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  These  Mr.  Woodbridge  delivered  to  them 
in  a  formal  manner  in  the  meeting-house,  which  was  commonly  taken  and  represented 
as  giving  them  their  degrees." 

In  the  following  October,  1 718,  a  resolution  was  introduced  into  the  legislature  for 
the  purpose  of  putting  an  end  to  all  the  difficulties  which  had  arisen.  As  originally 
passed  in  the  upper  house  the  preamble  read  as  follows  :  "Whereas,  it  has  been 
esteemed  by  some  a  considerable  hardship  upon  the  counties  of  Hartford  and  New 
London  that  a  house  for  the  collegiate  school  has  been  built  at  New  Haven,  at  such  a 


REMOVAL  OF  THE  COLLEGE  TO  NEW  HAVEN. 


47 


distance  from  these  counties,  and  particularly  (as  is  alleged)  to  the  town  of  Hartford, 
which  was  anciently  the  seat  of  the  principal  administration  of  power  in  the  colony, 
therefore,  for  the  peace  and  better  regulation  and  balance  of  public  benefit  of  affairs  in 
the  colony,  and  forasmuch  as  it  will  in  all  probability  conduce  very  much  to  the  good 
order  and  honor  of  our  public  administration  to  have  a  fair  and  suitable  building  of  our 
courts  of  election  in  Hartford,  and  for  other  public  occasions;  be  it  therefore  enacted  that 
land  be  sold  for  the  procuring  of  ^iooo;  and  it  is  further  enacted  that  ,£800  of  the 
said  thousand  shall  be  applied  to  the  erecting  of  a  fitting  house  for  holding  the  assem- 
bly and  other  courts  in  Hartford  in  such  form  as  this  court  shall  direct ;  and  that  ^"200 
of  the  said  thousand  be  given  to  the  trustees  of  the  collegiate  school  for  carrying  and 
finishing  the  house  erected  for  said  school  in  New  Haven."  However,  the  bill  did  not 
pass  in  this  shape.  As  finally  amended,  it  allowed  ^500  for  the  building  of  a  house  in 
Hartford  for  the  assembly,  as  some  compensation  to  the  people  of  that  town  for  the  in- 
convenience which  they  were  to  suffer  from  having  the  college  in  New  Haven,  and  £$0 
to  the  town  of  Saybrook  for  the  use  of  the  school  in  that  town.  The  clause  by  which 
it  was  proposed  that  ^200  of  the  fund  should  be  given  to  the  trustees  for  the  benefit  of 
the  college  at  New  Haven  was  struck  out;  and  the  legislature  seemed  to  think  that 
they  had  done  all  that  was  necessary  when  they  inserted  a  "recommendation"  to  the 
effect  that  "the  college  should  be  encouraged  in  New  Haven,  and  all  due  care  taken  for 
its  flourishing."  However,  it  should  also  be  mentioned  that  they  "recommended"  that 
the  scholars  who  had  performed  their  exercises  at  Wethersfield  should  have  their  de- 
grees in  New  Haven  without  further  examination,  and  that  all  scholars  entered  in  the 
school  at  Wethersfield  should  be  admitted  to  the  same  standing  in  the  school  at  New 
Haven.     They  also  ordered  the  scholars  at  Wethersfield  to  go  down  to  New  Haven. 

The  trustees  at  New  Haven  were  disposed  to  do  all  that  they  could  to  reconcile  the 
Hartford  party,  and  accordingly  voted:  "that  if  any  of  those  five  scholars  [who  had 
graduated  at  Wethersfield]  should  produce  to  the  Rector  a  testimony,  under  the  hands 
of  any  two  trustees,  of  their  having  been  approved  by  them  as  qualified  for  a  degree, 
the  Rector  upon  easy  and  reasonable  terms  should  give  them  a  diploma  in  the  usual 
form  and  that  their  names  should  be  inscribed  in  the  class,  as  they  were  at  first  placed." 
All  which  was  accordingly  done ;  and  in  the  triennial  catalogue  of  the  college,  ever 
since,  the  names  of  those  graduated  at  Wethersfield,  in  1718,  appear  in  the  same  list 
with  the  names  of  those  graduated  at  New  Haven. 

Thus  the  college,  after  so  many  years,  was  now  fairly  established  in  New  Haven.  It 
has  been  sometimes  said  that  this  result  was  an  accident.  The  history  of  the  college, 
as  it  has  now  been  traced  from  the  beginning,  shows  that  it  was  no  accident.  It  was 
the  intention  of  Mr.  Davenport  at  the  very  beginning,  and  of  the  men  who  came  with 
him  from  London,  that  the  town  which  they  founded  should  be  a  college  town.  To 
secure  this  result,  they  labored  and  made  sacrifices.  True,  they  did  not  accomplish  in 
their  day  all  that  they  had  hoped,  but  they  prepared  the  way  for  Pierpont,  and  Andrew, 
and  Pierson,  who  came  after  them.  Each  successive  generation,  from  the  first,  as  it 
had  grown  up  here,  had  become  familiar  with  the  idea  of  a  college,  and  had  learned  to 
know  something  of  the  importance  of  learning,  and  of  schools  for  the  higher  education. 


48 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


Then  when  the  college  was  founded  in  1700,  it  was  founded  according  to  the  original 
plan  of  the  New  Haven  men  who  first  proposed  it ;  and,  throughout  all  its  earlier 
history,  the  New  Haven  theory  of  what  it  should  be,  and  how  its  interests  should  be 
administered,  invariably  triumphed.  In  1708,  when  the  attempt  was  made  to  bring  it 
under  the  control  of  the  Saybrook  Platform,  it  would  seem  as  if,  for  the  time,  the  Eccle- 
siastical Establishment  party  had  carried  their  point ;  but,  judged  by  the  logic  of 
events,  even  here  New  Haven  finally  had  its  way.  It  was  the  son  of  one  of  the  first 
"planters"  who  gave  the  college  its  name;  and  when  the  great  struggle  arose  in  the 
colony  as  to  where  the  institution  should  be  permanently  located,  although  Hartford 
claimed  it  as  its  right,  not  without  plausible  grounds,  since  Hartford  was  the  ancient 
seat  of  the  principal  administration  of  power  in  the  colony,  New  Haven  was  victorious 
once  more.  As  the  friends  of  the  college  look  back  upon  those  times,  they  cannot  but 
see  that  the  success  of  New  Haven  in  establishing  the  college  on  its  public  green  when 
so  many  towns  were  earnestly  striving  to  secure  it  for  themselves,  and  when,  as  was 
said  in  the  publications  of  the  time,  the  whole  colony  was  "convulsed  with  great  throes 
and  pangs  and  controversy  and  mighty  strugglings,"  proves  that  the  town  where  the 
first  idea  of  the  college  originated  was  worthy  to  keep  it.  It  is  owing  to  no  accident, 
then,  that  the  college  stands  to-day  where  it  does.  Rather  was  it  an  accident  that  it 
was  located  for  a  short  time  in  Saybrook.  Its  final  establishment  in  New  Haven,  and 
the  fact  that  all  the  exertions  which  were  made  elsewhere  were  unable  to  wrest  it 
away,  shows  that  its  natural  home  was  here.  Nothing  in  the  town  is  more  thoroughly 
imbedded  in  its  history,  from  1638  to  1718.  From  foundation  stone  to  roof-tree,  Yale 
College  was  the  orowth  of  the  soil  of  New  Haven. 


-'— -"^— ;  ^-^'i 


HOUSK   OK   GOVERNOR    SALTONSTALL,  A.D.    1 70S. 


Ji^rLotfLj       £yvf&*~ 


■C^i't,: 


nss&- 


rector's  house,  a.d.  1722. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

■fcfiT.  TIMOTHY  CUTLER,  RECTOR,  A.D.   1719-1722. 

New  Difficulties. — The  Wethersfield  Students.  — "  A  very  vicious  and  turbulent  set  of  fellows." 
— Lieutenant  Daniel  Buckingham  refuses  to  give  up  the  Library. — Governor  Saltonstall  and  the  Coun- 
cil REPAIR    TO    SAYBROOK. The  SHERIFF  ORDERED  TO  TAKE  THE  PROPERTY  OF  THE  COLLEGE. RESISTANCE  BY   "A 

great  number  of  men." books  and  papers  lost. wethersfield  students  complain  of  tutor  johnson. 

— The  Trustees  pronounce  the  complaints  a  "scandal." — Wethersfield  Students  leave  New  Haven  in 
a  body. — Rev.  Timothy  Cutler  elected  Rector. — A  house  built  for  the  Rector. — Death  of  Governor 
Yale,  July  8,    1721. — Change  in  the  religious  views  of    Rector  Cutler   and  Tutor   Browne. — Alarm 

among  the  friends  of   the  college. rector  cutler  and  his   friends  invited   to  an    interview  with 

Trustees. — -It  appears  that  they  are  about  to  apply  for  Episcopal  Orders. — Efforts  of  Governor  Sal- 
tonstall to  stop  the  movement. — Debate. — Rector  Cutler  excused  from  further  service. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  academic  year  1 718-19,  the  friends  of  the  college  had  cer- 
tainly great  reason  to  be  encouraged.  The  institution  was  fairly  established  in  New 
Haven.  A  convenient  "college  house,"  facing  the  "Green,"  was  completed.  The 
instruction  was  in  the  hands  of  two  gentlemen  in  whom  the  trustees  had  perfect  confi- 
dence:  Mr.  Samuel  Johnson,  who  had  graduated  in  the  class  of  1 714,  and  had  a  high 
reputation  as  a  scholar,  and  Mr.  Daniel  Browne,  who  was  his  classmate.  The  number 
of  scholars  in  attendance  was  about  forty.  The  students  who  had  been  in  Wethersfield 
had  come  to  New  Haven,  in  accordance  with  the  order  of  the  Assembly,  and  had 
joined  the  several  classes  to  which  they  belonged. 

But  all  was  not  yet  harmonious.  The  Wethersfield  students  were  soon  found  to  be 
"a  very  vicious  and  turbulent  set  of  fellows."  They  professed  to  be  dissatisfied  with 
everything,  and  "made  all  the  mischief  they  could."  There  was  a  difficulty,  also,  in 
obtaining  possession  of  the  library  at  Saybrook.  The  books  and  papers  belonging  to 
the  college  had  been  left  there  in  the  keeping  of  Lieutenant  Daniel  Buckingham. 
Some  time  about  the  middle  of  November,  in  accordance  with  the  act  of  the  Assembly 
in  October,  he  was  requested  to  deliver  up  the  books  which  had  been  left  in  his  house, 
"which  belonged  to  Yale  College."  He  declined  to  comply  with  the  demand,  and 
gave  as  the  reason  that  he  "  did  not  know  that  he  had  any  books  belonging  to  Yale 
College;"  refusing,  thus,  to  recognize  the  college  by  its  new  name.  Accordingly, 
vol.  i. — 7  49 


5° 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


1  )ecember  2,  Governor  Saltonstall  and  the  Council  proceeded  to  Saybrook,  and  there, 
upon  consideration  of  the  matter,  resolved  that  "the  said  Buckingham,  refusing  to 
deliver  the  said  books  and  papers,  upon  the  said  order,  given  pursuant  to  the  said  act 
of  the  Assembly,  has  a  manifest  appearance  of  great  misdemeanor,  and  contempt  of 
authority."  Thereupon  they  issued  a  precept  to  the  sheriff  of  the  county  of  New  Lon- 
don, signed  by  Captain  Christopher  Christophers,  clerk  of  the  Council,  commanding  him, 
in  His  Majesty's  name,  to  arrest  the  said  Daniel  Buckingham,  and  "have  him  before 
the  Governor  and  Council  to-morrow  morning,  at  ten  of  the  clock,  at  the  house  of  Ma- 
jor John  Clark,  of  Saybrook,  to  be  examined  concerning  his  said  misdemeanor  and  con- 
tempt, and  dealt  with  as  the  law  directs."  The  next  day,  December  3,  Lieutenant  Daniel 
Buckingham  having  been  brought  before  the  Council,  and  their  order  having  been  read 
to  him,  he  was  asked  what  he  had  to  say  in  defense  of  his  conduct.  He  replied  that 
he  could  only  say  "  as  he  had  already  done."  Whereupon  the  sheriff  was  ordered  to 
enter  his  house  and  take  the  property  of  the  college.  Such,  however,  was  the  excite- 
ment in  Saybrook  on  the  subject,  that  even  the  sheriff  was  met  at  the  door  "by  a  great 
number  of  men,"  who  resisted  him  in  the  execution  of  his  duty.  He  succeeded  at  last, 
notwithstanding  the  opposition,  in  making  his  entrance,  and  took  possession  of  the 
books.  But,  in  order  to  be  able  to  carry  them  out  of  town,  it  became  necessary  "to 
impress  men,  carts,  and  oxen."  The  tradition  is  that  the  books  were  not  placed  in  the 
carts  till  so  late  in  the  day  that  it  was  impossible  to  carry  them  away  that  evening,  and 
during  the  night  a  mob  collected  who  took  off  the  wheels  from  the  carts  and  broke 
down  the  bridges  on  the  road  to  New  Haven.  The  result  was  that  before  the  books 
reached  their  destination  two  hundred  and  fifty  volumes  and  many  valuable  papers 
were  lost,  which  could  never  be  found  again. 

Meanwhile  there  began  to  be  a  difficulty  at  the  college,  in  consequence  of  the  insub- 
ordination of  the  Wethersfield  students.  Matters  rapidly  proceeded  from  worse  to 
worse  ;  and,  at  last,  some  time  early  in  1 719,  they  all  left  New  Haven  in  a  body,  and 
went  back  to  Wethersfield,  complaining  of  what  they  called  the  "  insufficiency  "  of 
Tutor  Johnson.  The  occasion  seemed  of  such  public  importance  to  Governor  Salton- 
stall, that  he  ordered  a  special  meeting  of  the  Council  in  New  Haven,  that  they  might 
consult  with  the  trustees  with  regard  to  the  interests  of  the  college.  Accordingly, 
when  the  Council  had  assembled,  they  proceeded  from  their  chamber  to  the  college  hall, 
where  they  were  met  by  Mr.  Andrew  and  the  other  trustees,  who  expressed  their  indig- 
nation at  the  unreasonable  attempt  of  the  disaffected  students  to  "  scandalize,"  as  they 
called  it,  the  instructions  of  a  gentleman  who  in  the  opinion  of  competent  judges  was  in 
every  respect  qualified  for  the  position  which  he  held.  They  said,  however,  that  they 
had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  very  important  for  them  to  secure  the  services 
of  some  person  of  character  as  Rector,  who  should  reside  at  the  college.  For  this 
reason,  they  stated  that  they  had  been  for  some  time  in  correspondence  with  Mr. 
Henry  Flynt,  of  Cambridge,  whom  they  were  seeking  to  persuade  to  accept  the  office. 
During  the  week,  the  Governor  and  Council  had  several  consultations  with  the  trus- 
tees on  the  subject,  and,  as  the  result,  advised  them  to  proceed  at  once  to  the  election 
of  some  fitting  person  as  Rector.     Accordingly,  they  took   the  matter  again  into  con- 


ST.  GILES;    WITH  CHURCHVARD,  AND  TOMB  OF  ELIHU  YALE, 
WREXHAM,    (NORTH    WALES.) 


RECTOR    CUTLER. 


51 


sideration  and  made  choice  of  the  Rev.  Timothy  Cutler,  who  had  been  for  ten  years 
the  minister  at  Stratford. 

Mr.  Cutler  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  in  1683.  He  had  graduated  at 
Harvard  in  1701,  was  ordained  at  Stratford  in  1709,  and  had  married  the  daughter  of 
Rev.  Mr.  Andrew,  who  had  now  been  acting  as  Rector  of  the  college  for  twelve  years. 
Mr.  Cutler  had  a  high  reputation  in  the  colony  as  an  eloquent  preacher,  and  as  a  man 
of  great  learning,  particularly  in  the  oriental  languages.  He  is  said  also  to  have 
spoken  Latin  with  great  fluency,  an  accomplishment  which  was  then  highly  esteemed. 
He  was  also  unusually  well  read  in  all  the  academic  sciences,  in  divinity,  and  ecclesi- 
astical history.  On  being  informed  of  his  election,  in  view  of  the  state  of  things  at  the 
college,  he  immediately  removed  to  New  Haven  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  Rector. 
He  is  reported  to  have  been  a  man  of  commanding  presence,  of  great  dignity,  and  of  a 
"  high,  lofty,  and  despotic  mien."  Under  his  influence  the  students  seem  to  have  been 
speedily  brought  under  suitable  subordination,  and  the  affairs  of  the  institution  were 
soon  in  such  a  condition  as  to  give  general  satisfaction. 

To  compensate  the  people  of  Stratford  for  the  loss  of  their  minister,  the  trustees  pur- 
chased Mr.  Cutler's  house  and  home  lot,  for  the  sum  of  ^84,  and  presented  them  to  the 
parish.  As  soon  as  possible,  also,  the  trustees  made  arrangements  to  build  a  house  in 
New  Haven  for  the  Rector.  The  legislature,  for  the  furthering  of  the  work,  in  1721, 
ordered  that  a  public  subscription  should  be  taken  up  in  each  town  in  the  colony  ;  and 
granted  also  an  impost  on  rum,  which  yielded  ^115.  The  house  was  finished  in  1722 
at  a  cost  of  ^260. 

Meanwhile,  information  was  received  in  New  Haven  that  Governor  Yale,  the  bene- 
factor of  the  college,  had  died  in  England,  July  8,  1721.*  A  little  before  his  death  he 
had  made  a  will,  in  which  he  had  bequeathed  to  the  college,  in  addition  to  what  he  had 
already  given,  the  sum  of  ^500.  But,  afterwards,  it  occurred  to  him  that  it  was  best 
to  execute  that  part  of  his  will  in  his  lifetime,  and  he  accordingly  packed  up  goods  to 
that  value,  with  the  design  of  sending  them  to  the  college ;  but  before  they  were 
shipped  he  took  a  journey  into  Wales,  and  died  at  Wrexham,  in  or  near  the  seat  of  his 
ancestors.  So  the  goods  were  not  sent,  neither  could  the  will  obtain  a  probate, 
although  Governor  Saltonstall  took  great  pains  to  effect  it. 


The  following  is  a  copy  of  Governor  Yale's  epitaph,  in  the  church-yard  at  Wrexham  : 

Under  this  tomb  lyes  interr'd  Elihu  Yale, 
of  Place-Gronow,  Esqr.  ;  born  5th  April,  1648, 
and  dyed  the  8th  of  July,  1721,  aged  73  years. 

Born  in  America,  in  Europe  bred, 
In  Afric  travell'd,  and  in  Asia  wed, 
Where  long  he  liv'd  and  thriv'd  ;  at  London  dead. 
Much  Good,  some  111  he  did  ;  So  hope's  all  even, 
And  that  his  soul  thro'  Mercy's  gone  to  Heaven. 
You  that  survive  and  read,  take  care 
For  this  most  certain  Exit  to  prepare, 
For  only  the  Actions  of  the  just 
Smell  sweet  and  blossom  in  the  dust. 


5  2  VALE  COLLEGE. 

The  college  now  seemed  to  be  in  a  prosperous  condition.  According  to  President 
Clap,  Mr.  Cutler  made  a  grand  figure  as  Rector.  The  prospect  seemed  very  encour- 
aging, when,  in  the  summer  of  1722,  suspicions  began  to  gain  currency  that  he  and 
some  of  the  neighboring  clergymen  had  made  an  important  change  in  their  religious 
views.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Pigot,  an  Episcopal  missionary,  who  had  been  sent  from  Lon- 
don to  Stratford  by  the  "  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts," 
had  received  a  visit  from  one  of  them,  and  after  his  departure  had  given  some  hints 
to  his  parishioners  of  what  might  soon  be  expected  to  take  place.  The  result  of  the 
reports,  which  were  now  extensively  circulated,  was,  that  by  the  time  of  Commence- 
ment "the  whole  country  was  in  alarm,  and  many  people  came  to  New  Haven 
expecting  some  strange  occurrence." 

Accordingly,  the  day  after  Commencement,  the  trustees,  "with  no  other  expectation 
than  that  these  gentlemen  might  clear  themselves  of  every  unfavorable  suspicion," 
invited  Rector  Cutler  and  the  others  to  meet  them  in  the  college  library.  Mr. 
Cutler  on  this  occasion  came  attended  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hart  of  East  Guilford,  the 
Rev.  Jared  Eliot  of  Killingworth,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whittelsey  of  Wallingford,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Wetmore  of  North  Haven,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson  of  West  Haven,  and  Tutor 
Browne.  These  gentlemen  were  then  requested,  from  the  youngest  to  the  eldest,  "  to 
make  a  statement  of  their  views,  when,  to  the  great  grief  of  the  trustees,  it  appeared 
that  some  of  these  gentlemen  entertained  doubts  as  to  the  validity  of  their  ordination, 
and  others  of  them  were  even  fully  persuaded  as  to  its  invalidity."  They  said  that  these 
views  were  the  result  of  their  study  of  the  books  which  had  lately  been  sent  over  to 
the  college  from  England.  They  had  been  induced  to  study  the  subject  of  the  consti- 
tution   of  the   primitive   church,    and   the   points  of  difference  between  the  Church  of 

Under  an  engraved  picture  of  Governor  Yale,  sent  to  the  college  at  an  early  period,  there  was  the  following  inscription  : 

Effigies  clarissimi  viri,  D.  D.  Elihu  Yale, 
Londinensis,  Armigeri. 

En  vir  !  cui  meritas  laudes  ob  facta,  per  orbis 

Extremos  fines,  inclyta  fama  dedit. 
yEquor  arans  tumidum,  gazas  adduxit  ab  Indis, 

Quas  Ille  sparsit  munificante  manu  : 
Inscitise  tenebras,  ut  noctis  luce  corusca 

Phcebus,  ab  occiduis  pellit  et  Ille  plagis. 
Dum  mens  grata  manet,  nomen  laudesque  Yalknses 

Cantabunt  SOBOLES,  unanimique  Patres. 

From  the  numerous  translations  in  verse  which  have  been  made  of  these  lines  I  select  the  following : 

Behold  the  man,  whose  deeds  on  every  shore, 

Fame's  hundred  tongues  are  whispering  to  the  wind  ; 
Asiatic  wealth  o'er  boisterous  seas  he  bore, 

With  just  magnificence  to  bless  mankind. 
The  clouds  of  Ignorance  which  veiled  the  mind 

Of  this  wide  West,  he  burst ;  as  Phcebus'  rays 
Light  up  the  night.     Yale's  fame  and  name  combined, 

Till  gratitude  expires,  shall  fire  our  lays, 
While  Sons  and  Fathers  join  in  sweet  accordant  praise. 

—  Yale  Literary  Magazine,  1836,  vol.  i.  186. 


RECTOR  CUTLER. 


53 


England  and  the  Congregational  churches  of  the  colony ;  and  for  some  time  they  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  meeting  in  the  college  library  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  these 
subjects  among  themselves  and  comparing  their  views.  It  appeared  further,  that 
some  of  them  had  even  agreed  to  leave  the  communion  of  the  churches  in  the  colony 
and  apply  for  Episcopal  orders.  The  trustees  heard  this  announcement  with  astonish- 
ment and  dismay.  President  Woolsey  has  said:  "I  suppose  that  greater  alarm  would 
scarcely  be  awakened  now  if  the  theological  faculty  of  the  college  were  to  declare  for 
the  Church  of  Rome,  avow  their  belief  in  transubstantiation,  and  pray  to  the  Virgin 
Mary."  It  could  not  but  cause  them  inexpressible  grief  that  so  many  persons  whom 
they  regarded  with  respect,  and  who  had  been  elevated  to  high  positions  in  the 
churches,  should  deliberately  abandon  those  principles,  to  maintain  which  their  fathers 
had  come  to  this  country  at  great  personal  sacrifices,  with  the  express  purpose  of 
escaping  from  the  English  Church,  and  of  establishing  for  themselves,  and  for  those  who 
should  come  after  them,  a  form  of  ecclesiastical  government  which  they  considered 
to  be  more  in  accordance  with  the  Scripture.  The  possible  effect  also  of  this  movement 
upon  the  political  relations  of  the  colony  to  England  added  to  their  apprehension. 

The  trustees  now  asked  the  gentlemen  to  state  their  views  in  writing,  which  was 
accordingly  done.  In  return,  the  trustees  sent  them  a  paper,  in  which  they  entreated 
them  to  consider  the  matter  again  with  greater  attention,  and,  if  possible,  "to  get  over 
their  scruples." 

A  few  days  after,  Governor  Saltonstall,  who  was  very  desirous,  if  possible,  of  stop- 
ping the  movement,  proposed  that  Rector  Cutler  and  his  friends  should  meet  with 
the  trustees  and  argue  the  points  in  a  friendly  manner  in  his  presence.  They 
accordingly  met  once  more  in  the  college  library,  on  which  occasion  Governor  Salton- 
stall acted  the  part  of  moderator,  and,  as  was  conceded,  with  great  candor  and 
politeness.  The  debate  was  managed  for  a  considerable  time  with  decorum  by  both 
parties.  The  Governor  himself  took  an  important  part  in  the  debate  ;  but  at  last 
the  defence  of  Episcopacy  provoked  some  irritating  remark  from  one  of  the  trustees, 
and  Governor  Saltonstall  thought  it  best  to  put  an  end  to  the  conference.  As  might 
be  expected,  both  parties  claimed  to  have  been  victorious  in  the  debate.  Rector 
Cutler,  Mr.  Johnson,  Mr.  Wetmore,  and  Mr.  Browne  remained  firm  in  their  views. 
Mr.  Hart,  Mr.  Whittelsey,  and  Mr.  Eliot  continued  in  their  churches,  though  the 
friends  of  Episcopacy  were  in  the  habit  of  claiming  that,  for  the  rest  of  their  days, 
they  were  never  known  to  act,  or  say,  or  insinuate  anything  to  the  disadvantage  of 
the  Episcopal  Church. 

The  trustees  now  voted  without  delay  that  "in  faithfulness  to  the  trust  reposed  in 
them,"  they  do  excuse  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cutler  from  all  further  service  as  Rector,  and  that 
they  accept  of  the  resignation  which  Mr.  Browne  has  made  of  his  office  as  Tutor.  They 
furthermore  passed  a  resolution  requiring  that  all  persons  who  shall  henceforth  be 
elected  to  the  office  of  Rector  or  Tutor,  before  they  enter  upon  their  duties,  shall  not 
only  declare  their  assent  to  the  Saybrook  platform,  but  give  satisfaction  to  the  trustees 
of  the  soundness  of  their  faith  in  opposition  to  Arminian  and  prelatical  corruptions, 
and  any  others  of  dangerous  consequence  to  the  purity  and  peace  of  the  churches. 


54 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


Mr.  Cutler,  Mr.  Johnson,  and  Mr.  Browne  sailed  in  a  few  weeks  for  England,  where 
they  were  ordained  in  March,  1723,  by  the  Bishop  of  Norwich.  Shortly  after  this 
ordination,  Mr.  Browne  was  seized  with  the  small-pox,  and  died  in  England.  Mr.  Cutler, 
before  his  departure  from  the  country,  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and 
Mr.  Johnson,  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  from  the  Universities  of  both  Oxford  and 
Cambridge.  After  their  return  to  their  native  land,  Dr.  Cutler  became  Rector  of 
Christ  Church,  in  Boston.  He  died  in  1  765,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  Mr.  Johnson 
received  an  appointment  as  Episcopal  Missionary  in  Stratford,  Connecticut,  where  he 
remained  till  1754,  when  he  received  the  appointment  of  first  president  of  King's  Col- 
lege, now  known  as  Columbia  College,  in  New  York  City.  In  1763  he  resigned  the 
presidency  and  returned  to  Stratford,  where  he  died  in  1772,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year 
of  his  age.  Mr.  Wetmore  received  an  appointment  as  Episcopal  Missionary  in  Rye, 
New  York,  where  he  continued  till  his  death,  in  1 760. 

President  Woolsey  says,  with  regard  to  the  action  of  the  trustees  at  this  time,  that  all 
will  allow  that  the  act  by  which  Rector  Cutler  was  deposed  from  his  office  was  neces- 
sary in  a  seminary  which  was  intended  for  the  training  of  ministers,  as  much  as  for  any 
purpose,  and  which  was  founded  and  governed  by  adherents  of  the  Congregational 
system.  He  calls  attention  also  to  the  fact  that  these  gentlemen  who  then  left  the 
Puritan  platform  were  not  afterwards  disposed  to  array  themselves  in  hostility  to  the 
college.  They  were  rather  inclined  to  regard  it  as  a  hopeful  place  where,  in  process  of 
time,  views  similar  to  their  own  would  flourish.  In  particular,  one  of  them,  Mr. — after- 
wards Dr. — Johnson,  appears  to  have  taken  a  friendly  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
college,  and  to  have  rendered  to  it  important  services.  Subsequently,  a  large  number 
of  the  more  eminent  and  active  Episcopal  ministers,  both  in  New  England  and  to  the 
westward  of  it,  were  educated  at  Yale  College. 

The  meetings  which  were  held  at  this  time  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  case 
of  Rector  Cutler  would  seem  to  have  had  the  effect  of  leading  the  trustees  to  appreciate 
the  importance  of  having  the  nature  of  the  constitution  of  the  governing  board  of  the 
college  more  exactly  defined  than  it  had  been  in  the  so-called  charter  which  had  been 
given  a.  d.  1 70 1.  That  charter  was  very  incomplete  in  its  description  of  the  powers 
confided  to  the  trustees  ;  and  during  the  recent  troubles,  as  well  as  during  those  which 
had  arisen  in  connection  with  the  removal  of  the  college  from  Saybrook  to  New  Haven, 
it  had  become  evident  that  there  was  an  important  difference  of  opinion  among  them 
as  to  the  proper  method  of  proceeding  in  their  action.  It  was  claimed  by  some,  that, 
as  members  of  the  governing  board,  they  could  take  part  in  its  action,  even  if  they 
were  not  present  at  a  meeting  regularly  called ;  and  that  consequently  it  was  neces- 
sary, in  order  that  any  action  should  become  legal,  that  such  action  should  have 
received  the  votes  of  a  majority  of  the  whole  body.  In  conformity  with  this  theory, 
not  only  those  who  were  present  at  a  meeting  had  been  in  the  habit  of  signing  their 
names  to  the  minutes,  but,  in  disputed  cases,  the  practice  had  been  to  send  the  minutes 
to  those  who  had  been  absent,  that  they  might  append  their  signatures.  It  had  been 
in  effect  claimed  by  some,  also,  that  as  independent  trustees,  any  one  or  more  of  them 
had  the  power  of  receiving  students  for  purposes  of  instruction,  and  even  of  conferring 


RECTOR    CUTLER. 


55 


the  usual  academical  decrees.  It  would  seem  as  if  the  trustees  had  now  become 
satisfied  that  it  was  best  that  they  should  be  constituted  a  body  corporate ;  and,  as  the 
legislature  was  in  session  in  New  Haven  at  the  very  time  that  they  were  considering 
what  action  to  take  with  regard  to  the  resignation  of  Rector  Cutler,  they  applied  and 
received  permission  to  use  henceforth  a  common  seal  to  authenticate  their  acts. 
During  the  next  year,  they  agreed  upon  the  rules  of  proceeding  which  should  govern 
them  in  the  transaction  of  business ;  and,  at  the  October  session  of  the  legislature,  a.  d. 
1723,  they  procured  an  act  to  be  passed  defining  the  method  in  which  a  legal  meeting 
was  to  be  called.  The  act  also  provided  that  seven  of  the  trustees,  at  a  meeting  so 
called,  should  be  esteemed  a  quorum  ;  and  that  "  all  affairs  under  the  care  of  said  trustees 
should  be  determined  by  the  majority  of  such  meeting."  It  was  furthermore  declared 
that  any  trustee  might  resign  his  office  when  he  should  see  cause ;  that  a  clerk  might 
be  appointed  to  register  the  acts  of  the  board  ;  that  a  minister  of  thirty  years  of  age 
might  be  chosen  a  trustee ;  and  that  the  Rector  should  be  a  trustee  ex  officio. 


OFFICIAL  SEAL  OF  BISHOP  BERKELEY. 

FROM    THE    MEMORIAL    WINDOW    IN     BATTELL   CHAl'EL. 

CHAPTER    V. 
REV.  ELISHA    WILLIAMS,  RECTOR,    i 726-1 739. 

The  College  for  four  years  without  a  permanent  Rector. — Disorder  among  the  Students. — -Rev. 
Elisha  Williams  elected  Rector,  A.D.  1726. — Enlarged  curriculum  of  Academic  Studies. — Rev.  George 
Berkeley,  Dean  of  Derry. — Fortune  bequeathed  to  him  by  Mrs.  Vanhomrig  (Vanessa). — Plans  a  College 
in  the  Isles  of  Bermuda. — Expects  aid  from  the  British  Government. — Sails  for  Newport,  Rhode  Island. 
— Buys  a  Farm.- — Whitehall. — Disappointment. — Gives  Whitehall  to  the  College  at  New  Haven. — 
Foundation  of  three  Scholarships. — III  health  of  Rector  Williams. — Resigns  A.D.  1739. 


From  1722  to  1726  the  college  was  without  any  permanent  Rector.  The  tradition 
is  that  the  trustees,  in  consequence  of  the  change  in  Mr.  Cutler's  views,  lost  somewhat 
of  their  confidence  in  his  father-in-law,  Mr.  Andrew,  who  had  preceded  him  in  his 
office.  It  had  been  largely  through  his  influence  that  Mr.  Cutler  had  obtained  his 
election  in  1 7 1 9.  The  trustees,  accordingly,  did  not  invite  Mr.  Andrew  to  act  again 
as  Rector,  but  agreed  among  themselves  that  they  would,  each  of  them  by  turn,  reside 
in  New  Haven  for  a  month  at  a  time,  and  discharge  the  duties  of  the  office.  Under 
such  an  arrangement  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  students  became  once  more  very  dis- 
orderly. 

Repeated  efforts  were  made  to  fill  the  vacant  place,  but  "owing  to  the  general 
agitation  arising  out  of  the  late  declaration  for  Episcopacy,  it  seems  to  have  been  con- 
sidered a  station  of  peculiar  difficulty."  At  the  next  Commencement,  in  1723,  it  is 
interesting  to  notice  that  the  old  feelings  of  estrangement  between  the  trustees  who 
lived  on  "the  river"  and  those  who  lived  on  "the  Sound  "  had  so  far  passed  away  that 
Mr.  Woodbridge,  of  Hartford,  was  appointed  to  confer  the  degrees.  It  was  not  long, 
however,  before  Mr.  Andrew  appears  to  have  regained  the  confidence  of  his  colleagues, 
and  in  1724,  1725,  1726,  he  "moderated,"  as  it  was  termed,  as  in  former  times. 

In  this  last  year  a  still  more  striking  proof  was  given  that  the  old  jealousies  con- 
nected with  the  removal  of  the  college  from  Saybrook  to  New  Haven  had  been  for- 
gotten, by  the  election  of  the  Rev.  Elisha  Williams  as  Rector,  who  had  figured  so 
conspicuously  in  the  history  of  those  troubles  as  the  teacher  of  the  seceding  students  at 
Wethersfield.     He  was  now  the  minister  in  Newington,  a  parish  of  the  town  of  Weth- 

56 


& 


/U^L^^n^f 


RECTOR    WILLIAMS. 


57 


ersfield.  The  choice  was  considered  so  good,  and  one  of  such  public  importance,  that 
the  legislature,  on  the  petition  of  the  trustees  that  some  suitable  compensation  might 
be  made  to  the  people  of  his  charge  for  the  loss  they  were  about  to  sustain,  released 
the  parish  from  their  county  tax  for  four  years.  His  church  having  been  thus  indemni- 
fied, the  ceremony  of  his  installation  took  place  on  the  day  after  Commencement, 
September,  1726.  In  the  morning  Mr.  Williams  met  the  trustees  in  the  college  library, 
and  gave  his  assent  to  the  confession  of  faith  and  the  rules  of  church  discipline  which 
had  been  agreed  upon  by  the  churches  of  the  colony  in  1 708,  and,  after  dinner,  he 
made  a  public  oration  in  the  hall.  The  ceremony  was  concluded  by  the  trustees 
coming  successively  to  him  and  saluting  him  as  Rector. 

Mr.  Williams  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  William  Williams,  of  Hatfield,  Mass.  He  was 
born  in  1694,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  171 1.  In  17 16  his  services  had 
been  secured  by  the  disaffected  trustees,  Mr.  Woodbridge  and  Mr.  Buckingham,  to  take 
charge  of  the  students  from  the  northern  part  of  the  colony  who  had  withdrawn  from 
Saybrook  ;  and  he  had  continued  to  give  instruction  to  these  students  in  Wethersfield 
for  two  years.  When  all  opposition  to  the  establishment  of  the  college  in  New  Haven 
had  been  given  up,  the  trustees,  in  1718,  in  order  to  reconcile  all  parties,  invited  him  to 
come  to  New  Haven  as  senior  tutor.  He  never  came,  but  his  name  now  stands  on  the 
triennial  catalogue  of  the  college  in  the  list  of  tutors,  though  he  never  held  the  office, 
except  in  Wethersfield,  and  in  the  irregular  manner  just  described.  In  1718  he  was 
elected  by  the  people  of  Wethersfield  to  represent  the  town  in  the  legislature,  and  was 
made  clerk  of  the  house.  In  1721  he  was  ordained  the  minister  of  the  church  in 
Newington,  where  he  remained  till  he  removed  to  New  Haven  in  1726. 

At  this  time,  the  town  is  supposed  to  have  had  a  population  of  about  a  thousand 
inhabitants.  Two  years  before,  in  1724,  the  number  of  dwelling-houses  was  reported 
to  be  one  hundred  and  sixty-three. 

Mr.  Williams  had  the  reputation  of  possessing  unusual  talent  as  an  instructor,  and 
he  proved  to  be  very  successful  in  administering  the  affairs  of  the  college.  He  was  also 
one  of  those  men  who  are  endowed  with  great  personal  magnetism.  By  his  peculiarly 
genial  influence  he  was  able  to  repress  much  of  the  vice  and  disorder  which  had 
prevailed  among  the  students.  He  made  some  important  changes  in  the  academical 
studies.  Having  paid  especial  attention  himself  to  rhetoric  and  oratory,  he  labored  to 
cultivate  at  the  college  a  taste  for  general  literature.  It  would  seem  that  his  own 
example  must  have  conduced  somewhat  to  this  end,  for  President  Stiles  says  of  him, 
"  He  was  a  man  of  splendor.  He  spoke  Latin  freely,  and  delivered  orations  gracefully 
and  with  animated  dignity." 

When  he  had  been  Rector  about  seven  years,  the  college  received  a  gift  of  a  very 
valuable  collection  of  books,  and  of  a  house  and  ninety-six  acres  of  land,  from  the  Rev. 
Dr.  George  Berkeley.  The  memory  of  this  gift,  which  connects  the  institution  in  its 
early  history,  in  this  pleasant  way,  with  a  European  scholar  of  world-wide  reputation, 
and  one  so  honored  for  his  accomplishments  and  his  many  virtues,  has  always  been 
cherished  among  the  alumni  with  such  interest  that  some  account  of  the  circumstances 
which  led  to  these  gifts  seems  to  be  required. 
VOL.  1. — 8 


58  VAf.K  COLLEGE. 

Dr.  Berkeley,  when  nearly  forty  years  of  age,  had  come  quite  unexpectedly  into  the 
possession  of  a  fortune  of  ,£4,000,  which  was  bequeathed  to  him  by  Mrs.  Vanhomrig 
(the  "Vanessa"  of  the  literary  history  of  the  times),  and  shortly  after  he  was  made 
Dean  of  Derry,  in  Ireland.  It  appears  that  he  had  been  revolving  in  his  mind  for 
some  time  the  possibility  of  doing  something  for  the  improvement  of  the  condition 
of  the  red  men  in  America,  and  he  had  scarcely  received  his  new  appointment  before  he 
made  public  a  plan  which  he  had  devised  for  establishing  a  college  for  the  benefit 
of  the  children  of  the  savage  Americans.  This  college  was  to  be  in  the  "Sum- 
mer Islands,"  otherwise  known  as  the  "  Isles  of  Bermuda."  The  special  object  of 
this  institution  was  to  be  the  training  of  young  native  Indians  as  missionaries.  Suit- 
able persons,  however,  from  the  English  plantations,  were  also  to  be  admitted  to  share 
in  its  privileges,  that  they  might  receive  an  education  which  would  fit  them  for  positions 
in  the  colonial  churches.  The  enthusiastic  Dean  proposed  to  resign  his  own  appoint- 
ment and  to  become  the  head  of  this  college  on  a  salary  of  £100  a  year,  and  he  had 
secured  as  Fellows  for  the  proposed  institution,  on  a  salary  of  £<\o,  several  young  men 
who  had  been  educated  in  the  universities.  As  an  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  this 
genial  and  ardent  Irishman  succeeded  in  arousing  the  interest  of  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact,  a  story  is  told  by  Lord  Bathurst.  He  says :  "  The  members  of  the 
Scriblerus  Club  being  met  for  dinner  one  day  at  his  house,  it  was  agreed  that  they 
would  rally  Berkeley,  who  was  to  be  present,  on  his  scheme  at  the  Bermudas.  Berkeley 
having  listened  to  all  the  lively  things  they  had  to  say,  begged  to  be  heard  in  his  turn, 
and  displayed  his  plan  with  such  astonishing  and  animating  force  of  eloquence  and 
enthusiasm  that  they  were  struck  dumb,  and,  after  some  pause,  rose  up  all  together 
with  earnestness,  exclaiming  :    '  Let  us  all  set  out  with  him  immediately.' ' 

His  "  Proposal,"  which  he  published  as  a  pamphlet,  and  in  which  he  gave  a  sketch 
of  his  plan,  is  the  most  extraordinary  production  of  the  kind  ever  published.  It  reads 
like  a  chapter  from  a  romance.  Mr.  Fraser,  his  latest  biographer,  says  :  "  With  the 
warmth  of  a  poet  he  pictures  the  genial  sun  and  the  virgin  earth  of  these  rock-encircled 
islands  ;  so  defended  by  nature  that  foe  or  pirate  could  not  come  near  them  ;  lavishly 
supplied  with  all  that  nature  needs."  There  the  atmosphere  is  perpetually  fanned  and 
kept  cool  by  sea  breezes,  which  render  the  weather  the  most  healthy  and  delightful 
that  could  be  wished,  being  of  one  equal  tenor  almost  throughout  the  whole  year,  like 
the  latter  end  of  May.  He  calls  it  the  Montpellier  of  America.  It  was  to  him  a 
"land  of  blue  skies,  rich  fruits,  coral  strands,  and  a  virtuous  and  innocent  race."  "Tall 
cedars  sheltered  the  orange  trees  ; "  and  there,  in  a  retirement,  as  he  says,  "  so  sweet  and 
so  secure,"  he  proposed  to  devote  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  prosecuting  his  studies 
and  instructing  the  young  savages  who  were  to  come  from  America — the  nearest  point 
of  which,  Cape  Hatteras,  as  Mr.  Fraser  tells  us,  was  nearly  six  hundred  miles  distant. 

Intent  on  his  benevolent  mission,  the  Dean  set  out  from  Ireland  for  London  to  gain  a 
royal  charter  for  this  college,  and  a  suitable  endowment.  He  had  heard  that  there  was 
a  tract  of  land  in  the  Island  of  St.  Kitts  which  had  been  ceded  to  the  English  crown  by 
the  French  at  the  time  of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  in  1  7 1 3,  which  tract  of  land  Queen 
Anne  had  directed  to  be  sold,  that  a  fund  of  £"80,000  might  be  established  for  the  sup- 


RECTOR    WILLIAMS. 


59 


port  of  four  Anglican  bishops  in  America.  He  now  proposed  to  the  Government  that 
,£20,000  of  this  fund  should  be  set  apart  for  the  benefit  of  the  college.  Some  idea  of 
the  way  in  which  the  plan  was  regarded  at  the  time  may  be  obtained  from  the  follow- 
ing letter  of  his  friend  Dean  Swift  to  Lord  Carteret,  the  Lord-Lieutenant  of  Ireland: 
"There  is  a  gentleman  of  this  kingdom  just  gone  for  England — it  is  Dr.  George  Berke- 
ley, Dean  of  Derry,  the  best  preferment  among  us,  being  worth  about  ,£1,100  a  year. 
He  takes  the  Bath  in  his  way  to  London,  and  will,  of  course,  attend  your  Excellency, 
and  be  presented*,  I  suppose,  by  his  friend  Lord  Burlington  ;  and  because  I  believe  you 
will  choose  out  some  very  idle  minutes  to  read  this  letter,  perhaps  you  may  not  be 
ill-entertained  with  some  account  of  the  man  and  his  errand.  He  was  a  Fellow  in  the 
University  here,  and,  going  to  England  very  young,  about  nineteen  years  ago,  he 
became  the  founder  of  a  sect  there,  called  the  Immaterialists,  by  the  force  of  a  very 
curious  book  on  that  subject.  Dr.  Smalridge  and  many  other  eminent  persons  were  his 
proselytes.  I  sent  him  chaplain  and  secretary  to  Sicily  with  my  Lord  Peterborough  ; 
and,  upon  his  Lordship's  return,  Dr.  Berkeley  spent  above  seven  years  in  traveling 
over  most  parts  of  Europe,  but  chiefly  through  every  corner  of  Italy,  Sicily,  and  other 
islands.  When  he  came  back  to  England  he  found  so  many  friends  that  he  was  effec- 
tually recommended  to  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  by  whom  he  was  lately  made  Dean  of 
Derry.  Your  Excellency  will  be  frightened  when  I  tell  you  all  this  is  but  an  introduc- 
tion, for  I  am  now  to  mention  his  errand.  He  is  an  absolute  philosopher  with  regard 
to  money,  titles,  and  power,  and  for  three  years  past  hath  been  struck  with  a  notion  of 
founding  a  university  at  Bermuda  by  a  charter  from  the  Crown.  He  has  seduced  sev- 
eral of  the  hopefulest  young  clergymen  and  others  here,  many  of  them  well  provided 
for,  and  all  of  them  in  the  fairest  way  of  preferment;  but  in  England  his  conquests  are 
greater,  and,  I  doubt  not,  will  spread  very  far  this  winter.  He  showed  me  a  little  tract 
which  he  designs  to  publish,  and  there  your  Excellency  will  see  his  whole  scheme  of  a 
life  academico-philosophic,  of  a  college  founded  for  Indian  scholars  and  missionaries, 
where  he  most  exorbitantly  proposeth  a  whole  hundred  pounds  a  year  for  himself,  forty 
pounds  for  a  Fellow,  and  ten  for  a  student.  His  heart  will  break  if  his  deanery  be  not 
taken  from  him  and  left  at  your  Excellency's  disposal.  I  discourage  him  by  the  cold- 
ness of  courts  and  ministers,  who  will  interpret  all  this  as  impossible  and  a  vision,  but 
nothing  will  do.  And  therefore  I  do  humbly  entreat  your  Excellency  either  to  use 
such  persuasions  as  will  keep  one  of  the  first  men  in  this  kingdom  for  learning  and  vir- 
tue quiet  at  home,  or  assist  him  by  your  credit  to  compass  his  romantic  design,  which, 
however,  is  very  noble  and  generous,  and  directly  proper  for  a  great  person  of  your 
excellent  education  to  encourage." 

Notwithstanding  these  quite  practical  views  which  were  entertained  by  some,  the 
Dean  succeeded  at  last,  by  his  importunity  and  that  of  powerful  friends,  in  obtaining 
both  the  desired  royal  charter  and  a  promise  of  the  ,£20,000,  for  which  he  had  made 
application;  and  encouraged  by  his  success,  and  with  unlimited  faith  in  the  bare  word 
of  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  the  English  minister,  he  resigned  his  deanery,  and,  after  having 
been  married,  August  1,  to  Miss  Anne  Foster,  daughter  of  the  Speaker  of  the  Irish 
House  of  Commons,  he  set  sail  September  6,  1728,  on  his  mission. 


6o  YALE  COLLEGE. 

Thus,  as  one  of  his  biographers  has  said,  "he  entered  upon  the  wild  enterprise  with 
such  defiance  of  prudence,  and  such  devotion  to  a  purpose,  as  perhaps  no  mature 
man  newly  married,  and  with  the  responsibilities  of  individual  life  upon  him,  ever 
manifested  before." 

It  was  at  this  time,  in  the  full  flush  of  excitement  consequent  on  what  he  now 
considered  the  assured  success  of  his  design,  that  he  burst  into  song : 

Westward  the  star  of  empire  takes  its  way  ; 

The  four  first  acts  already  past. 
A  fifth  shall  close  the  drama  with  the  day — 

Time's  noblest  offspring  is  its  last. 

The  Dean  took  with  him  a  considerable  sum  of  money  of  his  own,  and  a  collection  of 
books  for  the  use  of  the  college.  He  had  also  received  some  contributions  of  money 
from  his  friends  to  assist  in  carrying  out  his  enterprise.  Two  young  gentlemen  accom- 
panied him — Mr.  James  and  Mr.  Dalton — and  an  artist,  Mr.  Smybert.  There  was  also 
in  the  party  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Berkeley,  "my  lady  Handcock's  daughter." 

The  party  never  reached  the  Bermudas.  After  a  tedious  voyage  of  five  months  they 
landed  at  Newport,  in  Rhode  Island,  where  the  Dean  determined  to  take  up  his  resi- 
dence till  the  promised  Government  grant  should  be  received.  With  his  own  money  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  ninety-three  acres,  three  miles  from  the  town,  and  built  upon  it  a 
farm-house,  with  the  intention  of  making  of  his  new  purchase  a  stock-farm,  which  might 
be  useful  in  furnishing  supplies  for  the  future  college,  which  was  to  be  at  Bermuda. 
Here,  on  his  farm  in  Newport,  he  waited  for  the  arrival  of  the  ,£20,000;  but  the  money 
did  not  come.  It  appears  that  at  one  time  he  was  inclined  to  commence  his  college  in 
Rhode  Island,  thinking  that  it  possessed  some  advantages  over  the  Bermudas ;  but 
fearing  lest  this  change  might  throw  some  difficulty  in  the  way  of  receiving  the 
promised  grant,  he  judged  it  best  to  adhere  to  the  original  design. 

Meanwhile,  he  occupied  his  enforced  leisure  in  literary  work,  and  wrote  Alciphron,  or 
the  Minute  Philosopher,  the  object  of  which  was  to  furnish  an  argument  in  refutation 
of  the  freethinkers  of  his  day.  At  last,  the  whole  ,£80,000  raised  by  the  sale  of  the 
Crown  lands  in  St.  Kitts  were  appropriated  by  the  Government  to  furnish  a  marriage 
portion  for  the  Princess  Royal;  and  one  of  the  Dean's  friends,  the  Bishop  of  London, 
knowing  how  wearied  and  impatient  he  had  become  by  long  waiting,  sought  an  inter- 
view with  Sir  Robert  Walpole,  in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  inform  him  what  he 
might  depend  upon  with  regard  to  the  payment  of  the  promised  subsidy.  The  Bishop 
received  this  characteristic  answer  from  Walpole :  "  If  you  put  the  question  to  me  as 
minister,  I  must  and  can  assure  you  that  the  money  shall  undoubtedly  be  paid  as  soon 
as  suits  with  the  public  convenience ;  but  if  you  ask  me  as  a  friend  whether  Mr. 
Berkeley  should  continue  in  America,  expecting  the  payment  of  the  ,£20,000,  I  advise 
him  by  all  means  to  return  home  to  England  and  to  give  up  his  expectation." 

There  was  now  no  longer  any  possible  prospect  of  succeeding  in  his  scheme. 
Reluctantly  the  Dean  determined  to  give  it  up,  and  accordingly  sailed  for  England  in 
September,  1 73 1 ,  just  three  years  after  he  had  left  his  native  land. 


RECTOR    WILLIAMS.  61 

Rut  during-  these  three  years  of  his  residence  in  Rhode  Island  he  had  made  a  very 
pleasant  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Samuel  Johnson,  the  Episcopal  missionary  in  Stratford, 
and  with  Mr.  Jared  Eliot,  who  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  college.  In  consequence 
he  had  been  led  to  feel  an  interest  in  the  college  in  New  Haven,  and  had  presented 
it  with  a  copy  of  all  his  works,  which  brought  about  some  correspondence  with  Rector 
Williams. 

At  last,  when  the  Dean  was  about  to  leave  America,  Mr.  Johnson,  who  had  always 
retained  his  friendly  feelings  for  his  alma  mater,  while  making  him  a  parting  visit  at 
Whitehall,  took  occasion  to  suggest  that  he  should  send  some  books  to  the  college 
from  England,  in  the  hope  that  as  he  and  his  brethren  had  been  profited  by  the  books 
which  had  formerly  been  sent,  a  like  benefit  might  be  extended  to  future  generations. 
Dr.  Berkeley  had  already  formed  a  favorable  opinion  of  the  college  from  his  acquaint- 
ance with  Mr.  Eliot  and  other  gentlemen  who  were  connected  with  its  management, 
and  on  his  return  to  England,  assisted  by  several  of  his  friends  who  had  been  liberal 
subscribers  to  his  own  intended  college,  sent  over  nearly  a  thousand  volumes,  valued  at 
^500,  the  finest  collection  of  books,  according  to  President  Clap,  ever  brought  to 
America  "at  one  time."  Among  these  books  were  a  collection  of  the  Christian 
Fathers,  nearly  complete ;  copies  of  most  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics ;  and  the 
most  approved  works  in  theology,  history,  the  sciences,  and  general  literature.  They 
were  generally  of  the  most  approved  editions  and  in  the  best  style  of  binding. 

Shortly  after  the  Dean's  return  to  England,  he  sent  also  through  Mr.  Johnson  a  deed, 
by  which  he  conveyed  to  the  trustees  of  the  college  the  farm  which  he  had  occupied 
in  Rhode  Island,  and  which  is  still  known  as  the  "  Dean's  Farm."* 

The  conditions  of  the  gift  were — 

1  st.  That  the  rents  of  the  farm  should  be  appropriated  to  the  maintenance  of  the 
three  best  scholars  in  Greek  and  Latin  who  should  reside  at  college  at  least  nine 
months  in  a  year,  in  each  of  the  three  years,  between  their  first  and  second  degrees. 

2d.  That  on  the  sixth  day  of  May,  annually,  or  in  case  that  should  be  Sunday,  on 
the  seventh,  the  candidates  should  be  publicly  examined  by  the  President  or  Rector 
and  the  Senior  Episcopal  Missionary  within  the  colony  who  should  be  then  present. 
And  in  case  none  should  be  present,  then  by  the  President  only. 

3d.  In  case  the  President  and  Senior  Missionary  should  not  agree  in  their  sentiments 
who  were  the  best  scholars,  the  case  should  be  determined  by  lot. 

4th.  That  all  surplus  money,  which  should  happen  by  any  vacancy,  should  be 
distributed  in  Greek  and  Latin  books  to  such  undergraduate  students  as  should  make 
the  best  composition  or  declamation  in  the  Latin  tongue  upon  such  a  moral  theme  as 
should  be  given  them. 

The  first  examination  for  the  Dean's  bounty  was  held  in  May,  1733,  when  the  Rev. 

*  President  Clap,  in  his  History  of  the  College,  written  about  the  time  that  information  reached  New  Haven  of  the  death 
of  Dr.  Berkeley,  who  had  become  Bishop  of  Cloyne,  says  with  reference  to  these  gifts  :  "  The  college  will  always  retain  a  most 
grateful  sense  of  his  generosity  and  merits,  and,  probably,  a  favorable  opinion  of  his  idea  of  material  substance  ;  as  not  con- 
sisting in  an  unknown  and  inconceivable  substratum,  but  in  a  stated  union  and  combination  of  sensible  ideas,  excited  from 
without  by  some  intelligent  being." 


62  YALE  COLLEGE. 

Elcazar  Wheelock,  D.D.,  the  first  president  of  Dartmouth  College,  and  the  Rev.  Benja- 
min Pomeroy,  D.D.,  of  Hebron,  Conn.,  at  that  time  "senior  sophisters,"  were  elected 
"scholars  of  the  house,"  as  students  on  this  foundation  still  continue  to  be  called.  In 
the  century  and  a  half  which  have  nearly  closed  since  that  time,  a  long  succession  of 
some  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  alumni  of  the  college  have  enjoyed  the  advan- 
tages of  these  scholarships,  and  have  been  successful  candidates  for  the  Berkeleian 
premium  for  Latin  composition,  thus  established. 

In  1734,  it  is  deserving  of  notice,  the  first  considerable  attempt  was  made  to  furnish 
the  college  with  philosophical  apparatus.  Before  this  there  had  been  scarcely  anything 
deserving  of  the  name.  At  this  time,  by  subscription  of  the  trustees  and  other  gentle- 
men, there  were  bought  a  reflecting  telescope,  a  microscope,  barometer,  and  various 
other  articles.  A  complete  set  of  surveying  instruments  was  presented  to  the  college 
about  the  same  time  by  Joseph  Thompson,  Esq.,  of  London ;  and  a  few  years  after,  a 
pair  of  globes  by  Isaac  Watts,  D.D.      An  air-pump  was  also  purchased  by  subscription. 

Not  long  after  these  gifts  had  been  received,  Mr.  Williams,  at  the  Commencement  of 
1739,  resigned  the  office  of  Rector,  which  he  had  held  for  thirteen  years.  His  health 
seems  to  have  been  unfavorably  affected,  during  his  residence  in  New  Haven,  by  the 
sea  air  and  the  southerly  winds.  Quite  reluctantly  the  trustees  accepted  his  resigna- 
tion, and  returned  him  their  hearty  thanks  for  his  good  services  to  the  college. 

After  his  resignation  he  returned  to  Wethersfield,  and  not  long  after  entered  again 
upon  political  life,  for  which  he  had  a  great  partiality.  He  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  and  acted  as  Speaker  of  the  House.  Afterwards  he 
was  elected  a  judge  of  the  Superior  Court.  In  1745,  when  all  New  England  rallied  for 
the  expedition  against  Louisburg,  he  volunteered  to  go  as  chaplain  of  the  Connecticut 
quota  of  troops.  He  showed  there  such  ability  that,  in  1 746,  he  was  appointed  colonel 
of  a  regiment  in  the  army  which  was  raised  for  the  invasion  of  Canada. 

A  few  years  after,  he  went  to  England,  as  an  agent  to  procure  the  pay  due  to  his 
regiment,  and  there  made  the  acquaintance  of  many  distinguished  men.  The  cele- 
brated Dr.  Doddridge  was  so  impressed  by  his  virtues  and  talents,  that  he  said:  "I 
look  upon  Colonel  Williams  to  be  one  of  the  most  valuable  men  upon  earth.  He  has, 
joined  to  an  ardent  sense  of  religion,  solid  learning,  consummate  prudence,  great 
candor,  and  sweetness  of  temper,  and  a  certain  nobleness  of  soul,  capable  of  contriving 
and  acting  the  greatest  things,  without  seeming  to  be  conscious  of  having  done  them." 

On  his  return  to  this  country,  he  established  himself  once  more  at  Wethersfield;  and 
there,  not  long  after,  he  died,  July  24,  1755,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one. 


CONNECTICUT  HALL,  A.I).    1752.       [SOUTH  MIDDLE.] 


CHAPTER     VI. 
REV.  THOMAS  CLAP,  RECTOR,  A.D.   1739-1745  ;  PRESIDENT,  A.D.    1745-1766. 

A  Period  of  great  religious  and  political  Excitement. — Rev.  Thomas  Clap  elected  Rector. — His 
business  Capacity. — Revision  of  the  Laws. — Catalogue  of  the  Library. — Annual  Subsidy  from  the 
Legislature  increased. — Curriculum  of  Studies  enlarged. — Draft  for  a  new  Charter  prepared. — 
Whitefield  visits  New  Haven. — The  "Great  Awakening." — Imitators  of  Whitefield. — The  New 
Haven  Church  divided. — A  Separate  Service  set  up. — Rector  Clap  regards  it  as  revolutionary 
and  dangerous. — Formation  of  political  Parties  in  the  Colony. — The  Students  are  forbidden  to 
attend  the  "Separate"  Meeting. — Expulsion  of  David  Brainerd. — The  "Old  Light"  Party  control 
the  Legislature. — Ecclesiastical  Laws  of  1742  and  1743.  —  "Declaration"  against  Whitefield  by 
Officers  of  the  College,  A.D.  1745. — Expulsion  of  John  and  Ebenezer  Cleaveland. — Rector  Clap 
high  in  favor  with  the  "Old  Light"  Party. — Enabled  in  consequence  to  obtain  a  new  Charter 
for  the  College. — Effect  of  the  War  upon  the  College. — Loss  of  Life  and  waste  of  Treasure  in 
Connecticut. — Rector  Clap's  Influence  with  the  Legislature  unimpaired. — Obtains  assistance  in 
building  "Connecticut  Hall." — Electrical  Experiments  of  Tutor  Ezra  Stiles. — Linonian  Society. — 
Change  in  the  Relations  of  President  Clap  to  the  political  Parties. — Alarmed  by  the  increasing 
religious  Indifference  of  the  "Old  Lights." — Preaching  of  Mr.  Noyes  unsatisfactory. — A  Separate 
Service  on  Sunday  commenced  on  College  Ground. — Foundation  of  a  Chair  for  a  Professor  of 
Divinity. — Test  Laws. — Indignation  of  "Old  Lights." — "The  Religious  Constitution  of  Colleges." — 
Naphtali  Daggett  elected  Professor  of  Divinity. — A  College  Church  established. — A  House  built 
for  the  Professor  of  Divinity. — War  of  Pamphlets. — Commencement  of  the  Seven  Years'  War. — 
War  Debt  of  Connecticut. — The  "New  Light"  Majority  in  the  Legislature  induced  by  President 
Clap  to  assist  in  building  a  Chapel. — Persistence  of  the  Enemies  of  President  Clap. — They  appeal 
to  the  Legislature  to  appoint  Visitors. — Reply  of  the  President. — His  Triumph. — His  Difficulties 
with  the  Tutors. — Disorders  in  the  College. — His  Enemies  at  last  victorious. — Resignation. — 
Death. 


The  choice  of  a  successor  to  Rector  Williams  was  considered  by  the  trustees  to  be 
a  matter  on  which  the  future  prosperity  of  the  college  depended  in  an  unusual  degree. 
The  institution  had  now  attained  a  position  of  commanding  importance  throughout  the 
colony.  It  had  survived  the  difficulties  which  arose  from  the  straitened  circumstances 
of  its  early  years ;  and  the  distractions  of  the  public  mind  occasioned  by  the  long  wars 
which  began  the  very  month  that  instruction  commenced  in  the  college  and  were  not 
terminated  till  the  Peace  of  Utrecht  in   1  7 1 3.     The  misunderstandings  and  jealousies, 

63 


64  YALE  COLLEGE. 

connected  with  the  removal  from  Saybrook  to  New  Haven,  in  1716,  which  threatened 
to  destroy  it,  were  now  forgotten,  and  all  parts  of  the  colony  looked  to  it  with  pride 
and  felt  a  common  interest  in  contributing  to  its  prosperity.  The  alarm  occasioned  by 
the  unexpected  declaration  for  Episcopacy  of  Rector  Cutler  and  Tutor  Browne  had 
subsided.  The  college  was  fairly  established  in  New  Haven,  and  had  taken  firm  root 
there.  The  undergraduates  amounted  annually  to  eighty  or  more ;  and  as  many  as 
twenty  on  an  average  were  graduated  at  each  Commencement.  Ten  generations  of 
students,  numbering  nearly  four  hundred  in  the  aggregate,  had  been  successfully 
conducted  through  the  appointed  curriculum  of  studies.  Its  alumni  everywhere  filled 
important  stations  throughout  the  colony,  in  church  and  state,  and  looked  back  to  it 
with  affectionate  regard  as  their  alma  mater.  But  it  was  felt  that  there  was  now 
needed  a  more  thorough  organization.  A  firm  hand  was  required  to  repress  some  dis- 
orderly customs  which  had  gained  a  foothold  among  the  students  during  the  period  of 
the  difficulties  through  which  the  college  had  passed.  Then,  too,  the  fact  was  recog- 
nized that  the  field  of  knowledge  had  broadened,  and  that  the  course  of  study  needed 
to  be  enlarged  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  age. 

But,  important  as  the  election  of  a  new  Rector  seemed  to  the  trustees,  we  can  see, 
on  looking  back,  that  it  was  even  more  important  than  they  supposed.  Without 
knowing  it,  they  stood  at  the  threshold  of  a  period  which  was  to  be  more  full  of 
dangers  than  any  they  had  passed  through. 

A  hundred  years  were  just  ended  since  the  colonization  of  New  England  may  be 
said  to  have  been  completed.  Between  1620  and  1640,  according  to  Mr.  Bancroft's 
estimate,  twenty-one  thousand  Englishmen  had  crossed  the  ocean  to  these  shores.  The 
hundred  years  which  followed,  from  1640  to  1740,  had  been  occupied  by  the  original 
settlers  and  their  descendants  in  efforts  to  establish  themselves  in  their  new  homes. 
During  this  period  the  institutions  of  a  new  people,  who  had  stretched  themselves  all 
along  the  Atlantic  seaboard — from  the  Penobscot  to  the  Altamaha — had  been  formed, 
and  popular  freedom  had  been  secured  for  the  inhabitants  of  this  continent  forever. 
An  American  people  had  grown  up  who  knew  and  were  disposed  to  assert  and  defend 
their  rights.  But  they  were  still  living  in  disconnected  colonies,  and  were  all  subject  to 
a  Power  which  governed  them  from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  The  time  had  now 
come  when  they  were  to  enter  upon  a  series  of  events  which  was  to  result  in  their 
union  with  one  another,  and  in  their  violent  separation  from  the  mother  country.  The 
next  forty  years  were  to  be  years  of  war  or  preparation  for  war,  in  which  the  hard- 
earned  savings  of  the  people  were  to  be  squandered,  and  the  best  blood  of  their  sons 
was  to  be  poured  out  like  water. 

They  were  also  entering  upon  a  period  which  was  not  to  be  disturbed  by  war 
alone.  There  was  to  be  a  wide-spread  controversy  on  religious  subjects,  which  was  to 
carry  division  into  every  town,  and,  it  might  almost  be  said,  into  every  household ;  and 
which  was  to  be  marked  with  manifold  errors  and  extravagances. 

These  things  were  as  yet  all  hidden  from  the  view  of  the  trustees,  but  they  felt,  none 
the  less,  that  there  was  needed  at  the  head  of  what  was  deemed  the  most  important 
institution  of  the  colony,  a  man  of  character,  and  of  high  attainments  as  a  scholar; 


RECTOR   CLAP.  65 

one  who  was  acquainted  with  affairs,  and  one  who  had  the  confidence  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Fortunately  the  trustees  had  ample  time  for  the  work  of  selection.  The  state  of  the 
health  of  Rector  Williams  for  some  years  had  warned  them  that  it  would  soon  be 
necessary  to  appoint  his  successor.  So  they  were  prepared,  on  the  very  day  of  his 
resignation,  October  31,  1739,  to  proceed  to  the  election  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Clap,  of 
Windham. 

The  result  proved  that  they  were  eminently  fortunate  in  the  choice  which  they  made. 
Mr.  Clap  was  one  of  the  most  learned  men  in  the  colony.  He  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  whole  range  of  academical  studies,  and  was  known  to  have  paid  unusual  atten- 
tion to  the  different  branches  of  the  pure  mathematics  and  astronomy.  He  had  uncom- 
mon qualifications  for  the  transaction  of  business.  He  had  great  energy  of  character, 
and  even  a  superabundance  of  that  quality  which,  in  the  forcible  language  of  New 
England,  is  known  as  "back-bone." 

A  committee  was  appointed  by  the  trustees  to  obtain  the  consent  of  Mr.  Clap's 
parishioners,  that  he  should  leave  them.  This  proved  to  be  no  easy  matter.  They 
were  at  first  very  unwilling  to  part  with  him  ;  but  after  hearing  the  committee  they 
said,  in  accordance  with  the  stern  spirit  of  the  times:  "As  they  were  not  satisfied  that 
they  should  be  in  the  way  of  their  duty,  if  they  opposed  his  going,  they  would  leave 
the  whole  affair  to  the  conduct  of  Providence."  A  council  of  the  neighboring  ministers 
was  therefore  called,  who  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  Mr.  Clap  ought  to  accept  the 
office,  and  to  enter  upon  its  duties  at  once.  The  trustees  accordingly  reported  to  the 
legislature  that,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  which  had  been  followed  in  the  case  of 
his  predecessor,  some  compensation  ought  to  be  made  to  the  parish  of  Windham,  as 
they  were  thus  deprived  of  their  minister.  This  was  finally  arranged,  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  parties,  by  a  grant  from  the  legislature  of  half  the  amount  which  the  people  had 
given  him  at  the  time  of  his  settlement,  on  the  principle  that  he  had  been  in  Windham 
fourteen  years,  which  was  about  half  the  time  ministers  in  general  continued  in  their 
public  work. 

The  preliminaries  having  thus  been  satisfactorily  arranged,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Clap 
was  installed  on  the  2d  of  April,  1 740,  Rector  of  the  College.  The  ceremonies  of  the 
occasion,  according  to  the  account  which  he  prepared  himself,  were  conducted  in  the 
following  manner :  the  Rector  elect,  first,  in  the  presence  of  the  trustees,  probably  in 
the  library,  gave  his  consent  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  the  rules  of  Church  Disci- 
pline known  as  the  Saybrook  Platform,  and  gave  satisfaction  as  to  the  soundness  of  his 
principles,  according  to  the  act  of  the  trustees  in  1722.  The  whole  company  then  went 
to  the  college  hall,  where  the  exercises  proceeded  in  the  following  order :  the  Moder- 
ator, Rev.  Mr.  Whitman,  offered  prayer.  One  of  the  students  made  an  oration  proper 
for  the  occasion.  The  Moderator  made  a  speech  in  Latin,  in  which  he  committed  the 
care  of  instructing  and  governing  the  college  to  the  Rector ;  and  the  Rector  himself 
concluded  with  an  oration. 

The  accession  of  Rector  Clap,  as  already  intimated,  marks  the  commencement  of  a 
new  era  in  the  history  of  the  college.      He  had  well-defined  ideas  of  what  such  an  insti- 

VUL.   I. 9 


66  VALE  COLLEGE. 

tution  should  be.  It  has  been  already  said  that  he  was  not  only  a  scholar  but  a  man 
of  great  business  capacity.  At  once  everything  connected  with  the  institution  was 
made  to  pass  under  the  keen  supervision  of  his  eye ;  and  he  began  to  reduce  all  into 
conformity  with  his  idea  of  what  was  needed  in  order  that  the  college  might  be 
brought  into  the  highest  state  of  efficiency. 

One  of  the  first  things  of  special  importance  which  he  undertook  was  the  compilation 
of  a  body  of  laws.  At  the  time  of  the  foundation  of  the  college,  it  had  been  ordered 
that  where  no  special  provision  was  made  by  the  trustees,  the  laws  of  Harvard  College 
should  be  the  rule.  About  the  time  the  college  was  removed  to  New  Haven,  a  short 
body  of  laws  had  been  drawn  up  which  was  usually  transcribed  by  the  scholars  at  their 
admission.  These  were  found  to  be  very  defective.  Some  of  them  had  become 
obsolete.  During  the  term  of  office  of  Rector  Williams  it  is  said  the  students  were 
governed  more  by  his  personal  influence  than  according  to  any  established  laws. 
Rector  Clap  at  once  drew  up  a  regular  code,  partly  out  of  the  ancient  laws  and  statutes 
of  the  college,  partly  from  the  most  important  customs  which  had  obtained,  partly  from 
the  laws  of  Harvard  College,  partly  from  the  statutes  of  the  University  of  Oxford, 
and  incorporated  some  new  ones.  These  laws,  after  having  been  carefully  examined 
by  the  trustees,  received  their  sanction  in  1 745,  were  transcribed  into  Latin,  and 
printed  in  1748. 

The  Rector  at  the  same  time  "  collected  and  wrote  down  under  proper  heads  all  the 
customs  of  the  college  which  had  been  established  in  practice,  and  these  made  a  volume 
as  large  as  the  other."  This  book  of  customs  cannot  now  be  found.  "  It  was  never 
printed,  but  was  read  publicly,  and  explained  to  the  students,  whenever  it  was  thought 
necessary.  From  what  appear  to  be  extracts  from  it,  published  in  the  time  of  President 
Stiles,  this  book  contained  minute  rules  respecting  the  subordination  of  classes,  the 
deportment  of  the  students  towards  each  other,  and  towards  the  officers  of  the  college. 
Some  of  these  regulations  were  no  doubt  at  the  time  salutary ;  but  as  to  others,  it  is 
now  difficult  to  see  why  they  were  ever  enforced." 

Rector  Clap  also  undertook  to  make  the  books  belonging  to  the  college  of  more 
practical  value  to  the  academic  body  by  preparing  a  catalogue.  Under  his  direction 
the  books  were  numbered  and  arranged  in  the  library  according  to  subjects,  with  the 
exception  of  those  which  had  been  sent  by  Bishop  Berkeley,  which  were  put  by  them- 
selves at  one  end  of  the  library. 

He  furthermore  induced  the  legislature  to  augment  their  annual  gift  to  the  college, 
so  that  the  trustees  were  enabled  to  support  three  tutors  ;  and,  henceforth,  including 
the  Rector,  there  was  now  an  instructor  for  each  class.  According  to  the  new  arrange- 
ment, each  of  the  three  lower  classes  was  placed  under  the  instruction  of  a  particular 
tutor,  who  carried  them  through  the  course  of  study  appointed  for  the  year ;  and  the 
President  himself  took  charge  of  the  senior  class. 

He  introduced  also  some  change  in  the  curriculum  of  studies;  the  principal  change 
being  that  a  part  of  the  time  which  had  been  given  to  logic  was  now  given  to  natural 
philosophy  and  to  the  mathematical  sciences,  and  the  students  received  instruction  in 
conic  sections  and  fluxions,  in  surveying,  navigation,  and  the  calculation  of  eclipses. 


RECTOR    CLAP.  6y 

The  two  upper  classes  were  also  exercised  in  disputing ;  every  Monday  in  the  syllo- 
gistic form,  and  every  Tuesday  in  the  forensic.  The  Rector  began  also  to  give  public 
lectures  upon  those  subjects  which  are  necessary  to  be  understood  to  qualify  young 
gentlemen  for  the  various  stations  and  employments  of  life — such  as  the  nature  of 
civil  government,  the  civil  constitution  of  Great  Britain,  the  various  kinds  of  courts, 
the  several  forms  of  ecclesiastical  government  which  have  obtained  in  the  Christian 
church. 

But  Rector  Clap  had  hardly  entered  in  this  energetic  way  upon  the  duties  of  his 
position,  when  all  New  England  began  to  be  stirred  with  that  religious  excitement  to 
which  we  have  already  made  allusion,  and  of  which  it  has  not  yet  ceased  to  feel  the 
effects.  The  character  of  this  excitement  was  such  that  it  was  not  long  before 
churches  were  everywhere  divided,  and  even  new  political  parties  were  formed.  At 
such  a  time,  so  important  an  institution  as  the  college  could  not  escape  the  general 
agitation.  Rector  Clap  was  not  a  man  to  decline  responsibility,  and  the  course  which 
he  took,  and  the  controversies  to  which  his  conduct  gave  rise,  not  only  affected  the 
interests  of  the  college  during  the  whole  of  his  connection  with  it,' but  were  the  occa- 
sion of  involving  him  at  last  in  difficulties  which  embittered  the  closing  days  of  his  life. 

To  understand  the  measures  which  he  adopted,  it  will  be  necessary  to  keep  in  mind 
the  circumstances  of  the  times,  and  some  facts  with  regard  to  the  previous  religious 
history  of  New  England.  The  country  had  been  settled  by  men  who,  to  a  great 
extent,  were  governed  in  all  that  they  did  by  high  religious  principle.  The  great 
object  which  they  had  proposed  to  themselves  in  coming  to  this  country,  was  to  found 
the  institutions  of  a  new  people  in  accordance  with  what  they  supposed  to  be  the  mind 
of  God.  Accordingly  they  considered  that  it  was  of  the  first  importance  that  the 
churches  which  they  formed  should  be  pure  and  free  from  all  admixture  of  evil.  To 
this  end,  they  admitted  no  one  as  a  church  member  unless  he  was  able  to  give  satisfac- 
tory evidence  that  he  was  guided  in  his  life  by  Christian  principle.  They  considered, 
also,  that  the  interests  of  the  state  ought  to  be  administered  in  conformity  with  the 
will  of  God ;  and  for  this  reason,  in  New  Haven  and  in  some  of  the  other  colonies,  as 
in  England  itself  till  quite  recently,  no  one  was  allowed  to  vote,  or  hold  office  of  any 
kind,  unless  he  was  a  member  of  the  church.  Such  a  constitution  of  the  state,  as 
might  have  been  expected,  was  regarded  with  great  dislike  by  those  whose  lives  did 
not  come  up  to  the  standard  required  to  enable  them  to  become  members  of  the 
church.  So  great  was  the  desire  of  this  class  of  persons  to  be  admitted  to  a  share  in 
the  political  power,  and  such  the  pressure  that  they  were  able  to  bring  to  bear,  that  it 
is  not  surprising  that  in  the  next  generation  the  practice  was  introduced  of  recognizing 
as  church  members  all  who  had  been  baptized  in  infancy,  and  who  were  not  outwardly 
immoral.  Then,  in  process  of  time,  these  persons,  on  giving  a  formal  assent  to  the 
creed  and  covenant  of  the  church,  were  allowed  to  offer  their  children  for  baptism,  and 
thus  to  secure  for  them  all  the  civil  privileges  of  church  members.  In  process  of  time, 
a  still  further  innovation  was  introduced  ;  and  the  theory  was  accepted  that  it  was 
desirable  that  persons  who  considered  themselves  still  "  unregenerate,"  should  partake 
of  the  Lord's  Supper,  if  they  wished  it,  as  a  means  of  conversion. 


68  YALE  COLLEGE. 

Meanwhile  the  theology  which  was  generally  accepted  was  still  Calvinistic  ;  but  these 
tenets  were  not  preached  in  a  very  incisive  way.  There  were  also  lax  doctrinal  views 
of  various  kinds  which  had  begun  to  be  held  by  some,  and  which,  in  the  language  of 
the  times,  were  vaguely  and  inaccurately  characterized  as  Arminian.  In  addition 
to  all  this,  the  country  had  been  exposed  for  a  hundred  years  to  the  demoralization  of 
a  state  of  almost  constant  war ;  and  the  result  was  that  the  religious  condition  of  the 
people  was  reduced  to  a  very  low  point.  There  was,  to  be  sure,  much  outward 
respect  manifested  for  religion  and  for  all  religious  ordinances,  but  formality  and 
laxity  reigned  everywhere  in  the  church. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  this  formality  and  coldness,  there  was  undoubtedly  something 
more  than  mere  outward  respect.  There  was,  after  all,  a  great  deal  of  religious  feeling 
among  the  people,  but  it  had  become  the  custom  to  refrain  carefully  from  all  expres- 
sion of  it,  and  to  conceal  it  under  a  very  decorous  observance  of  whatever  tradition 
and  public  opinion  had  pronounced  to  be  Christian  duty. 

The  ministers  were  grave  and  dignified  gentlemen,  who  performed  the  duties  of 
their  position  with  punctilious  regularity.  But  the  universal  testimony  is  that  "  their 
preaching  lacked  point,  and  earnestness,  and  application ;  their  devotional  services 
were  without  warmth  and  unction  ;  their  labors  were  not  blessed  by  the  Holy  Spirit; 
their  people  slumbered  ;  the  tone  of  religious  life  and  sentiment  was  sinking ;  and  true 
godliness  seemed  fast  retiring  from  the  land." 

Such  was  the  condition  of  things  when  Rector  Clap  was  installed.  In  the  following 
September,  the  celebrated  English  preacher  Whitefield  landed  in  Newport,  Rhode 
Island,  and  from  thence  proceeded  to  Boston.  He  had  been  invited  to  come  to  New 
England  by  several  of  the  most  eminent  ministers  and  laymen.  For,  with  all  the 
prevalent  coldness,  there  had  been  for  some  years  spreading  through  the  whole 
country  a  disposition  to  lament  the  great  decline  of  religious  zeal  among  the  people. 
This  feeling  owed  its  origin,  in  a  measure,  to  the  preaching  of  the  celebrated  Jonathan 
Edwards,  of  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  and  to  influences  which  had  proceeded  from 
him.  The  country  was  pervaded  with  a  desire  for  a  general  religious  awakening,  and 
an  expectation  had  gone  abroad  that  it  would  take  place  on  the  coming  of  Whitefield, 
whose  reputation  had  preceded  him.  When  he  began  to  preach,  all  that  had  been 
expected  was  realized.  The  story  of  what  followed  forms  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
chapters  in  the  religious  history  of  New  England.  It  may  almost  be  regarded  as  the 
salvation  of  religion  in  the  country.  In  October,  Whitefield,  having  traveled  through 
Massachusetts  and  spent  some  time  with  Edwards  at  Northampton,  came  in  his  course 
to  New  Haven. 

The  minister  of  the  church  in  New  Haven,  at  this  time,  was  the  Rev.  Joseph  Noyes, 
who  was  a  representative  clergyman  of  the  times.  He  held  a  high  social  position, 
his  grandfather  and  father  having  been  among  the  most  respected  of  the  clergy 
of  New  England.  He  had  been  himself  educated  at  the  college  at  Saybrook ;  had 
been  for  some  years  a  tutor;  and  then  had  removed  to  the  church  in  New  Haven. 
There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  his  real  piety,  as  afterwards,  in  the  heat  of  con- 
troversy,  those  who    were    opposed    to    him    were    in    the  habit    of   doing ;    but    his 


RECTOR    CLAP. 


69 


preaching  was  deemed  uninteresting  and  uninstructive,  and  his  manner  cold  and 
unattractive. 

Whitefield  reached  New  Haven  on  the  23d  of  October,  having  preached  to  thou- 
sands that  day  at  Middletown  and  Wallingford.  He  remained  in  New  Haven  till 
Monday,  and  preached  once  on  Friday,  the  day  of  his  arrival,  twice  on  Saturday,  and 
twice  on  Sunday,  besides  expounding  the  Scriptures  and  conversing  with  individuals  at 
the  house  in  which  he  was  entertained.  The  legislature  was  in  session,  and  he  had  an 
interview  with  Governor  Talcott,  of  whom  it  is  said  that  his  "heart  was  so  full  that  he 
could  not  speak  much,  but  thanked  God  for  such  an  opportunity  of  '  refreshing.' " 
According  to  the  reports  which  have  been  preserved,  he  also  dined  with  Rector  Clap 
at  the  Rector's  house. 

The  history  of  the  college  affords  many  themes  which  it  is  to  be  hoped  will  one  day 
be  selected  for  illustration  by  the  students  who  shall  be  trained  in  its  school  of  art,  but 
no  one  of  them  offers  more  points  of  interest  and  more  striking  and  effective  contrasts 
to  those  who  are  able  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  times  than  the  scene  which  must 
have  been  presented  at  this  dinner.  The  representatives  of  the  different  political  and 
religious  parties  which  were  long  to  be  bitterly  opposed  to  one  another  in  Connecticut 
were  probably  assembled  on  the  occasion.  We  may  imagine  at  the  table,  bounti- 
fully spread  in  accordance  with  the  fashion  of  the  day,  the  broad-shouldered,  keen-eyed 
Rector  of  the  college,  now,  at  the  age  of  fifty,  in  the  maturity  of  his  powers,  somewhat 
distracted  between  the  disposition  to  do  all  honor  to  his  distinguished  guest,  and  an 
incipient  feeling  of  suspicion  and  dislike  for  a  man  who  was  so  different  from  him- 
self, and  who  was  engaged  in  a  work  which  he  may  have  even  then  considered 
to  be  irregular,  and  of  very  questionable  advantage  to  the  cause  of  religion.  There 
could  scarcely  be  a  greater  contrast  than  that  presented  between  the  Rector  and 
the  round-visaged,  enthusiastic  Anglican  divine,  now  flushed  with  his  unprecedented 
success  in  his  evangelistic  labors.  We  may  imagine  him  with  his  blue  eye  luminous 
with  religious  fervor  as  he  discoursed  with  his  sweet  sonorous  voice  in  the  presence  of 
his  unsympathetic  host  on  the  marvelous  work  of  grace  which  it  had  been  vouchsafed 
to  him  by  a  merciful  Providence  to  accomplish.  Prominent  among  the  guests  must 
of  course  have  been  the  dignified  and  unimpassioned  Mr.  Noyes,  the  minister  of  the 
town,  who  could  not  but  regard  the  man  before  him,  who  was  touching  so  many  hearts 
and  drawing  such  multitudes  around  him  by  his  matchless  eloquence,  as  a  trespasser 
on  ground  which  according  to  the  traditions  of  New  England  belonged  to  him.  Tutor 
Chauncey  Whittelsey  must  have  been  present  also  ;  destined  to  become  prominent 
in  the  history  of  American  Christianity  on  account  of  the  uncharitable  criticism  made 
upon  his  religious  character  by  one  who  was  to  be  speedily  convinced  of  its  injus- 
tice, and  who  now  in  popular  estimation,  notwithstanding  this  youthful  indiscretion, 
ranks  among  the  greatest  of  American  saints.  Nor  are  we  to  suppose  that  all  at  that 
table  were  unsympathetic.  Among  those  who  were  the  friends  of  the  eloquent  evan- 
gelist were  Mr.  James  Pierpont,  the  son  of  the  founder  of  the  college,  who  was  then 
entertaining  Whitefield  at  his  house  on  the  Green,  near  the  spot  on  which  his  descend- 
ants reside  to  this  day,  and  the  aged  and  pious  Governor  Talcott,  who  doubtless  was 


7o 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


once  more  thankful  to  God  for  such  a  "  refreshing "  in  the  way  to  the  "  rest,"  on 
which  he  was  to  enter  in  a  few  short  months. 

Whitefield  remained  in  New  Haven  only  till  Monday,  and  then  proceeded  on  his 
way  to  New  York.  But,  as  the  result  of  his  preaching,  there  was  a  revival  of  religion 
in  the  town  and  in  the  college.  It  would  be  interesting  to  have  full  particulars  of  the 
way  in  which  this  revival  was  regarded  by  the  dignitaries  of  the  college  and  the  town. 
Perhaps,  at  first,  the  new  interest  in  religious  truth  was  to  them  a  matter  of  sincere 
rejoicing;  but  soon  the  whole  country  was  overrun  with  a  set  of  enthusiastic  imitators 
of  Whitefield,  who  had  little  of  his  ability,  and  who  exaggerated  all  his  defects. 

Now  came  a  reaction  against  the  dead  formalism  which  had  so  long  held  sway  in 
New  England.  So  eager  were  the  people  to  have  their  dormant  religious  susceptibili- 
ties aroused,  that  the  new  self-appointed  preachers  who  undertook  to  do  it  were 
encouraged  to  intrude  themselves  as  a  matter  of  right  everywhere  into  the  established 
churches,  in  which  they  proceeded  to  take  the  regular  duties  of  the  ministers  into  their 
own  hands.  They  made  their  own  appointments,  adopted  their  own  measures,  and,  by 
noise  and  excited  rhapsody,  sought  to  incite  to  the  utmost  the  religious  enthusiasm  of 
the  people.  Whitefield  had  in  England  been  accustomed  to  see  persons  in  orders  who 
made  no  pretense  to  piety,  and  had  felt  in  consequence  justified  in  declaiming  there 
against  an  unconverted  ministry.  When  he  came  to  this  country  he  did  not  recognize 
the  fact  that  the  apparent  apathy  of  the  ministers  here  was  owing  to  a  different  cause. 
So  it  is  not  surprising  that  with  the  evidence  before  him  of  his  amazing  success 
in  securing  the  attention  of  all  classes  of  people  to  religious  truth,  he  should  regard 
those  who  did  not  cordially  co-operate  with  him  as  destitute  of  religious  feeling;  and, 
accordingly,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  of  them  as  "unregenerate."  His  followers 
took  up  his  example,  and  denounced  in  heated  language  all  who  were  not  ready  to 
accept  their  assistance,  or  objected  to  them  as  unconverted  men,  and  held  them  up  to 
scorn  and  ridicule.  All  this,  of  course,  seemed  little  less  than  blasphemy  to  the  staid 
gentlemen  who  were  leaders  in  society,  in  the  church  and  in  the  magistracy.  Thus, 
before  Rector  Clap  had  concluded  the  first  year  of  his  official  duties,  the  whole  colony 
of  Connecticut  was  in  a  ferment.  Every  church  was  divided,  and  everywhere  there 
was  the  greatest  bitterness  of  feeling. 

The  tranquillity  which  had  long  reigned  in  the  church  in  New  Haven,  in  which  the 
students  worshiped,  was  very  soon  disturbed.  Under  the  influence  of  the  zealous 
evangelists  who  had  come  to  labor  in  the  revival,  a  party  was  formed  who  desired  to 
secede  and  form  a  new  church.  Very  injudiciously  an  attempt  was  made  to  prevent 
them,  which  only  served  to  add  fuel  to  the  flame,  and  did  not  hinder  them  from  leaving 
and  setting  up  a  separate  service  of  their  own.  Such  a  course  could  not  but  be 
regarded  by  a  man  like  Rector  Clap  as  highly  revolutionary  and  injurious  to  the  inter- 
ests of  religion.  All  his  sympathies  were  with  the  established  order  of  things.  He 
was,  perhaps,  the  more  prejudiced  against  the  new  movement  as  he  was  already 
alarmed  by  what  he  deemed  the  defection  of  the  leaders  from  the  high  Calvinistic 
views  to  which  he  was  attached.  He  took  sides  accordingly  with  Mr.  Noyes  in  the 
struggle  which  was  now  commenced  in  New  Haven.     The  students  were  forbidden  to 


RECTOR   CLAP.  7l 

leave  his  church  to  go  to  the  new  meeting,  and  a  law  was  passed  threatening  with 
expulsion  any  one  who  should  speak  in  a  disrespectful  way  of  the  religious  character 
of  any  of  the  officers  of  the  college. 

It  could  hardly  be  expected,  at  a  time  when  the  questions  at  issue  had  entered 
into  the  politics  of  the  day,  that  the  more  zealous  of  the  students  could  be  thus 
restrained.  So  it  was  not  long  before  it  became  known  to  the  authorities  of  the  insti- 
tution that  one  of  the  students,  in  defiance  of  the  law,  had  gone  to  the  meeting  of 
those  who  had  separated  from  Mr.  Noyes's  church.  This  student  was  David  Brainerd, 
who  has  already  been  alluded  to  as  having  afterwards  become  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent of  American  clergymen  in  the  eighteenth  century. 

About  the  same  time,  it  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Rector  that  Brainerd,  in  the 
college  hall,  after  Tutor  Whittelsey  had  been  unusually  pathetic  in  prayer,  was  over- 
heard to  say  to  some  of  his  fellow-students  who  had  asked  him  what  he  thought  of 
Tutor  Whittelsey,  "  He  has  no  more  grace  than  this  chair."  For  these  acts  of  disobe- 
dience David  Brainerd  was  expelled  from  college  ;  and  so  the  very  commencement 
of  Rector  Clap's  connection  with  the  institution  was  signalized  with  what  was  sure  to 
be  considered  by  many  throughout  the  colony  as  an  extremely  arbitrary  act,  and  to 
excite  very  great  indignation  among  the  people  who  began  now  to  be  called  "  New 
Lights." 

Brainerd  was  at  the  time  a  member  of  the  Junior  Class,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
foremost  scholars.  His  religious  character  was  of  a  high  order,  but  he  was  led  away 
by  what  President  Edwards  calls  the  "  intemperate  and  imprudent  zeal  which  had 
crept  in  and  mingled  itself  with  the  revival  of  religion  ; "  and  it  should  be  stated  that 
he  himself  afterwards  expressed  deep  regret  for  the  imprudence  and  indecent  heats  into 
which  he  was  led.  On  the  other  hand,  in  explanation  of  this  action  of  the  authorities 
of  the  college,  it  should  also  be  remembered  that  it  was  considered  by  them  of  great 
importance  to  repress  the  fanaticism  which  was  everywhere  rife,  and,  as  Rev.  Dr. 
Bacon  has  said,  "  the  Rector  and  Tutor  were  very  naturally  dissatisfied  with  that  sort 
of  piety  which  was  inconsistent  not  only  with  what  they  esteemed  decorum,  but  with 
the  order  of  the  college  and  with  a  due  attention  to  the  daily  duty  of  study.  They 
were  alarmed  at  the  growing  propensity  among  the  students  to  violate  not  only  the 
rules  of  the  college  but  the  law  of  the  land,  by  running  away  from  the  appointed  place 
of  worship  to  the  separate  meeting.  They  probably  had  an  eye  on  Brainerd  as  one 
who  would  be  likely,  by  his  religious  zeal,  to  come  into  conflict  with  their  authority. 
And  very  likely  they  were  quite  willing  to  be  rid  of  him,  and  to  inflict  a  signal  blow 
upon  the  intemperate  spirit  of  the  times  by  dealing  sternly  with  him  for  that  calum- 
nious censure  of  his  superior." 

The  attitude  of  the  authorities  of  the  college  towards  the  Separatists  from  Mr. 
Noyes's  church,  and  in  particular  their  action  in  dealing  in  so  summary  a  way  with 
David  Brainerd,  brought  Rector  Clap  into  close  sympathy  with  the  dominant  political 
party  in  the  colony.  It  has  already  been  intimated  that  the  revival  had  given  rise  to 
questions  which  had  been  carried  into  politics.  A  large  majority  of  the  men  of  educa- 
tion and  culture  in  the  colony  were  united  in  favor  of  adopting  vigorous  measures  for 


72  VALE  COLLEGE. 

the  prevention  of  the  division  of  churches,  and  for  the  repression  of  all  the  disorders 
which  had  arisen  in  connection  with  the  preaching  of  the  followers  of  Whitefield. 
They  comprised  what  was  called  the  "Old  Light"  party,  and  in  its  ranks  was  Jonathan 
Law,  the  governor  of  the  colony,  and  a  majority  of  the  legislature.  The  "New  Light" 
party  at  first  consisted  almost  entirely  of  the  more  progressive  and  zealous  classes  of 
the  community  who  sympathized  with  the  revival.  Under  the  influence  of  this  feeling 
that  fanaticism  was  to  be  repressed  at  all  hazards,  the  "Old  Light"  majority  in  the 
legislature  were  able  to  secure  the  passage  of  an  act  in  May,  1742,  for  regulating 
abuses  and  correcting  disorders  in  ecclesiastical  affairs,  according  to  which  "  if  any 
ordained  minister  or  licensed  preacher  from  without  the  colony  should  preach,  or 
exhort,  within  the  limits  of  any  parish,  without  the  consent  of  the  pastor  and  majority 
of  that  parish,  he  was  to  be  arrested  and  carried  out  of  the  colony  as  a  vagrant.  If  he 
was  from  within  the  colony,  he  was  to  be  deprived  of  his  salary,  and  that  without  any 
trial,  simply  upon  information,  whether  true  or  false,  lodged  by  any  person  with  the 
clerk  of  his  parish.  This  law  also  provided  that  if  any  person  not  licensed  to  preach 
should  exhort  within  the  limits  of  any  parish,  without  the  consent  of  the  pastor  and 
majority  of  that  parish,  he  might  for  every  such  offense  be  bound  to  keep  the  peace, 
by  any  assistant  or  justice  of  the  peace,  in  the  penal  sum  of  one  hundred  pounds." 
Under  this  law  the  Rev.  Samuel  Finley,  afterwards  President  of  Princeton  College, 
was  arrested  and  carried  out  of  Connecticut  once  and  again  as  a  vagrant,  for  preaching 
to  seceding  churches. 

In  May,  1743,  the  legislature  made  separation  from  any  established  church  unlawful, 
except  by  special  license  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  such  license,  it  was  plainly 
intimated,  Congregationalists  must  not  expect.  It  has  been  said  that  for  bigotry  and 
intolerance  this  legislation  is  without  a  parallel  in  Connecticut.  Yet,  at  the  time,  it 
received  the  hearty  concurrence  of  Rector  Clap  and  the  trustees  of  the  college  and  a 
majority  of  the  ministers  in  the  General  Association  of  the  ministers  of  the  colony.  It 
is  even  probable  that  the  legislation  in  question  was  instigated  by  Rector  Clap.  At 
all  events,  so  earnest  was  the  Rector  in  this  work,  and  so  cordially  did  he  sympathize 
with  it,  that  when,  in  1 745,  Whitefield  was  contemplating  a  second  visit  to  New 
Haven,  he,  with  the  tutors  of  the  college,  issued  a  "declaration"  in  which  they 
warned  the  people  against  him.  Whitefield,  however,  was  not  deterred  from  coming 
to  New  Haven,  and  it  is  said  preached  in  front  of  the  Green,  at  the  corner  of  Elm 
and  Temple  streets,  to  many  thousands.  It  is  probable  that  the  civilities  which  were 
extended  to  him  by  Rector  Clap  at  the  time  of  his  first  visit  were  not  repeated  on 
this  occasion. 

About  this  time  another  more  signal  example  was  given  of  the  sympathy  which  was 
felt  by  Rector  Clap  with  the  feeling  which  pervaded  the  dominant  party.  Two  of  the 
students,  John  and  Ebenezer  Cleaveland,  natives  of  the  town  of  Canterbury,  when  at 
home  in  their  college  vacation,  had  attended  with  their  parents  the  Sunday  services  of 
one  Solomon  Paine,  who  was  a  Separatist  preacher.  The  facts  having  become  known, 
on  their  return  to  New  Haven  they  were  required,  on  penalty  of  expulsion,  to  confess 
publicly  in  the   Hall  that  what  they  had  done  was  in  violation  of  the  law  of  God,  and 


PRESIDENT  CLAP.  y^ 

of  the  colony,  and  of  the  college.  This  they  refused  to  do,  and  in  consequence 
were  summarily  expelled. 

This  action  of  Rector  Clap  brought  him  into  still  closer  sympathy  with  the  domi- 
nant party,  who  felt  that  what  was  considered  fanaticism  was  to  be  crushed  at  all 
hazards. 

The  attitude  of  Rector  Clap  during  this  struggle,  which  went  on  for  years  in 
Connecticut  between  the  two  great  religious  parties,  has  been  described  with  some 
degree  of  minuteness,  for  the  reason  that  while  it  was  attended  with  obvious  disadvan- 
tages to  the  college,  there  were  also,  by  means  of  it,  some  very  important  advantages 
secured. 

It  has  already  been  said  that  one  of  the  things  which  early  attracted  the  attention  of 
Rector  Clap,  after  he  came  to  the  college,  was  the  need  of  a  charter  which  should  give 
the  trustees  greater  authority.  One  of  the  first  things  to  which  he  had  turned  his 
attention  had  been  the  preparation  of  a  draft  for  a  new  charter;  and  now,  being  in 
high  favor  with  the  majority  in  the  legislature,  and  in  particular  with  Governor  Law, 
he  was  able  to  secure  all  he  wished.  Nothing  could  be  refused  to  one  who  had  been 
so  stanch  a  political  friend.  Accordingly,  May  9,  1745,  through  the  influence  of  his 
personal  friend  Governor  Law,  a  charter  which,  as  he  says  himself,  was  "more  appro- 
priate to  an  institution  which  was  now  in  a  mature  and  perfect  state,"  was  granted  to 
the  trustees,  who  were  incorporated  by  the  name  of  the  President  and  Fellows  of  Yale 
College  in  New  Haven.  This  charter  is  so  ample  in  its  provisions  that  every  power 
and  privilege  is  granted  which  will  ever  be  needed  in  the  future.  From  this  date  the 
name  of  Yale,  which  had  strictly  belonged  only  to  the  College  Hall,  but  which  had 
long  been,  in  popular  use,  applied  to  what  Dr.  Woolsey  calls  the  "  spiritual  body," 
became  the  legal  title  by  which  the  college  was  known.  It  is  an  interesting  feature  in 
this  charter  that  by  one  of  its  provisions  the  officers  of  the  college  were  required  to 
take  the  oaths  which  were  customary  in  England  for  securing  the  Protestant  succes- 
sion of  the  Crown,  and  for  extinguishing  the  hopes  of  the  Pretender. 

It  appears  from  the  account  which  has  now  been  given  of  these  theological  and 
religious  disputes,  how  eventful  was  the  period  at  which  Rector  Clap  had  begun  his 
official  duties.  At  a  time  when  the  excitement  of  the  public  mind  was  so  intense,  the 
support  and  encouragement  which  the  presiding  officer  of  the  college  had  given  to  the 
party  of  the  "  Old  Lights,"  while  it  had  been  attended  with  some  advantages,  had  been 
also  attended  with  some  dangers  to  the  interests  of  the  institution  by  the  alienation  of 
the  members  of  the  new  political  party,  which  was  all  the  time  acquiring  strength  and 
vigor. 

But  there  was  still  another  source  of  peril.  The  very  month  in  which  the  election 
of  the  new  Rector  took  place  was  signalized  by  the  commencement  of  a  great  Euro- 
pean war,  in  which  all  the  American  colonies  were  involved,  and  for  nine  long  years 
the  roll  of  the  drum  never  ceased  to  be  heard  in  Connecticut.  Hundreds  of  her  young 
men  were  prompt  to  volunteer,  and  followed  the  colors  of  the  king  through  every  field 
of  danger,  and  the  whole  population  was  kept,  during  all  this  time,  in  a  state  of  con- 
stant anxiety :  now  elated  by  the  tidings  of  victory,  and  now  almost  in  despair  from  the 

VOL.    I. — 10 


74 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


apprehension  of  clanger.  Some  account  of  this  war  and  the  part  which  Connecticut 
took  in  it  is  therefore  required,  that  it  may  be  understood  what  were  the  difficulties 
with  which  the  trustees  and  officers  of  the  college  had  to  contend  during  this  whole 
eventful  period. 

After  the  peace  of  Utrecht  had  been  concluded  in  1713  it  had  been  the  policy  of  the 
English  and  French  governments  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  to  maintain  friendly  rela- 
tions. When  Walpole  and  Cardinal  de  Fleury  succeeded  to  power,  they  systematically 
discouraged  all  attempts  which  were  made  to  embroil  the  two  nations  in  war.  But  at 
last  complications  arose  which  they  were  powerless  to  resist.  British  merchants  had 
found  it  to  be  for  their  profit  to  interfere  with  the  mercantile  system  in  accordance  with 
which  Spain  in  common  with  the  other  maritime  powers  regulated  the  trade  of  her 
colonies  around  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  ;  and  the  English  parliament  most  selfishly  and 
unjustifiably  sustained  them.  Walpole  made  every  effort  to  calm  the  excitement  which 
the  opposition  had  raised  throughout  the  country,  but  the  relations  of  Spain  and 
England  continued  to  grow  more  and  more  unfriendly.  The  approaching  danger  was 
foreseen  by  the  British  colonists  on  this  side  of  the  ocean,  who  were  well  aware  that  a 
declaration  of  war  at  the  palace  of  St.  James  meant  war  all  along  their  own  extended 
coasts  and  along  their  unprotected  frontier.  Only  three  weeks  before  the  day  when 
Rector  Williams  resigned,  and  Rector  Clap  was  elected  to  fill  his  place,  the  legislature 
of  Connecticut  with  prudent  foresight  ordered  that  twenty  cannon  should  be  put  in 
battery  at  New  London.  A  sloop  of  war  was  commissioned,  and  an  order  was  also 
given  to  muster  the  hardy  yeomanry  of  the  colony — thirteen  regiments  strong.  Just 
one  week  before  the  day  already  alluded  to,  war  was  formally  declared,  and  before  a 
month  had  passed  Admiral  Vernon  had  opened  the  contest  by  an  attack  upon  Porto 
Bello,  of  which  in  a  few  hours  he  made  himself  master.  It  was  an  inconsiderable 
place,  but  under  the  influence  of  party  spirit  its  capture  was  made  to  appear  as  a  great 
victory,  and  all  England  was  set  ablaze  with  the  story  of  what  was  called  his  heroism  ; 
and  there  was  nothing  for  the  English  government  to  do  but  to  yield  to  the  general 
enthusiasm  and  order  at  once  the  largest  fleet  and  army  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  that  had 
ever  appeared  there,  in  order  to  complete  the  work  which  had  been  so  gloriously 
begun. 

The  alacrity  with  which  all  the  New  England  colonies  responded  to  the  call  for 
troops,  which  was  now  made,  showed  once  more  their  indomitable  courage  and  their 
sympathy  with  the  mother  country.  The  legislature  of  Connecticut  voted  ^4,500  for 
the  expenses  of  the  war.  In  due  time  the  unfortunate  expedition  sailed  under  Lord 
Cathcart  and  Admiral  Vernon.  Lord  Cathcart  soon  fell  a  victim  to  the  climate,  and 
Vernon,  after  showing  his  incapacity  for  the  responsible  position  which  devolved  upon 
him,  made  a  rash  attempt  upon  Carthagena,  the  strongest  place  in  Spanish  America. 
His  efforts  were  at  first  attended  with  some  success.  The  troops  fought  well,  but  the 
rain  set  in,  and  it  was  finally  seen  to  be  necessary  to  withdraw.  Vernon  then  made  a 
descent  upon  the  island  of  Cuba ;  but  the  effects  of  a  July  sun  now  made  themselves 
felt,  the  troops  were  attacked  by  the  fever  of  the  country,  and  for  several  days  more 
than  a  thousand  men  died  daily.      In  the  period  of  two  days,  when  the  mortality  was 


PRESIDENT  CLAP. 


75 


greatest,  there  died  three  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty  men.  Out  of  a  thousand 
men  from  New  England  not  one  hundred  ever  returned. 

This  was  only  the  commencement  of  a  more  general  war.  The  death  of  the 
Emperor  Charles  VI.,  the  last  male  of  the  family  of  Hapsburg,  raised  the  question  of 
the  Austrian  succession.  In  the  contest  to  which  its  settlement  gave  rise,  all  the 
governments  of  Europe  became  involved.  England  and  France  ranged  themselves, 
according  to  their  supposed  interests,  on  different  sides,  and  New  England  was  at 
once  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  an  active  enemy.  Her  territory  was  invaded.  Her 
seamen  were  driven  from  the  fisheries.  Her  ships  were  swept  from  the  ocean  by 
expeditions  which  were  sent  out  from  Cape  Breton,  and  the  crews  of  the  vessels  which 
were  captured  were  carried  as  prisoners  to  the  fortress  of  Louisburg.  No  help  could 
be  expected  from  the  mother  country,  and  it  was  soon  courageously  resolved  by  the 
colonists  to  take  the  matter  into  their  own  hands.  The  result  was  the  capture  of 
Louisburg,  "the  Gibraltar  of  America,"  as  it  was  called,  "by  an  army  of  New  England 
mechanics,  farmers,  and  sailors,"  which  constitutes  one  of  the  most  remarkable  events  in 
the  early  history  of  the  country.  To  this  enterprise  Connecticut  furnished  more  than  a 
thousand  men.  The  event  was  hailed  in  England  as  the  most  important  advantage 
which  had  been  gained  in  the  war,  and  as  an  ample  compensation  for  the  defeat  which 
had  been  suffered  at  Fontenoy. 

But  the  very  importance  of  the  success  which  had  been  gained  served  to  endanger 
New  England  the  more.  England  and  France  were  now  both  made  to  feel  that 
hostilities  must  be  transferred  to  America.  The  English,  encouraged  by  their  victory, 
resolved  to  push  the  advantage  which  they  had  gained,  and  overrun  Canada.  The 
French,  smarting  under  defeat,  prepared  to  make  an  effort  to  recover  what  had  been 
lost,  and  at  the  same  time  to  ravage  the  American  coast  from  Nova  Scotia  to  Carolina. 
In  furtherance  of  the  expedition  to  Canada,  now  projected  by  the  English  government, 
the  legislature  of  Connecticut  once  more  raised  a  thousand  men,  but  the  fleet  which 
was  to  have  co-operated  with  the  colonists  failed  to  make  its  appearance ;  it  was 
detained  at  home  in  consequence  of  the  alarm  which  was  raised  by  the  landing  of  the 
young  Pretender,  and  the  consequent  rebellion  in  Scotland.  Meanwhile  a  French  fleet 
of  eleven  ships  of  the  line,  and  of  thirty  smaller  ships  and  vessels  of  from  ten  to  thirty 
guns,  and  of  transports  carrying  some  three  thousand  soldiers,  had  taken  its  way 
across  the  Atlantic  under  the  Duke  d'Anville,  who  was  considered  a  thoroughly  com- 
petent officer.  The  English  government  was  well  aware  of  the  sailing  of  this  formid- 
able fleet,  yet,  under  the  apprehension  of  an  invasion  from  France,  they  left  the 
colonists  to  defend  themselves. 

On  the  voyage,  the  French  fleet  was  scattered  by  a  storm,  and  it  was  not  till  the 
1 2th  of  September,  1746,  that  the  Duke  d'Anville  arrived  in  the  harbor  of  Chebucto, 
with  only  two  ships.  The  tidings  of  his  arrival  were  carried  at  once  by  an  express 
boat  to  Boston,  and  arrived  there  on  the  28th.  It  was  supposed  that  the  whole  French 
fleet  had  arrived,  and  that  an  immediate  attack  might  be  expected.  According  to  the 
historian  Trumbull,  "England  was  not  more  alarmed  with  the  Spanish  armada  in  1588 
than  Boston  and  New  England  were  at  the  report  of  the  arrival  of  D'Anville's  fleet." 


j6  VALE  COLLEGE. 

But  the  danger  was  met  by  the  New  England  men  of  1 746  in  the  very  same  spirit 
with  which  the  galleys  of  Medina  Sidonia  and  the  troops  of  the  Prince  of  Parma  were 
by  their  ancestors  a  century  and  a  half  before.  The  spirit  which  was  evoked  was 
worthy  of  the  descendants  of  the  old  vikings.  All  New  England  was  straightway 
alive.  In  a  few  days  six  thousand  men  were  gathered  in  Boston,  and  six  thousand 
more  were  on  the  way. 

But  the  fate  of  the  French  armada,  as  it  was  called,  was  strangely  like  that  of  the 
more  famous  one,  with  which  it  was  in  those  days  compared.  It  had  been  shattered 
by  a  tempest  while  crossing  the  Atlantic.  Several  of  the  largest  ships  had  been  lost. 
Others  had  been  disabled  and  obliged  to  return  to  France.  D'Anville,  in  his  disap- 
pointment at  the  loss  of  so  many  ships,  was  seized  with  a  fit  of  apoplexy  and  died. 
His  successor,  vexed  at  being  thwarted  in  his  designs,  ran  himself  through  with  his 
sword  and  committed  suicide.  The  soldiers  were  seized  with  dysentery,  and  soon  half 
their  number  had  died.  And  finally  in  a  panic,  caused  by  an  unfounded  rumor  that 
they  were  to  be  attacked  by  a  British  fleet,  without  having  undertaken  the  least  enter- 
prise against  the  colonists,  they  set  out  in  all  haste  for  home.  The  colonists  recognized 
the  good  providence  of  God  in  the  event,  and  the  historian  Trumbull  says:  "Such  a 
succession  of  disasters  as  pursued  the  French  from  the  day  they  sailed  from  France  till 
they  returned,  is  rarely  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  human  events.  The  restraints  put 
upon  this  mighty  armament,  and  the  protection  of  New  England,  was  little  less  remark- 
able than  the  defeat  of  the  Assyrian  monarch,  and  the  defense  of  Jerusalem,  when  after 
all  his  vast  preparations  and  haughty  menaces  he  was  not  suffered  to  go  against  her 
nor  shoot  an  arrow  there." 

But  the  efforts  of  the  colonists  were  not  relaxed.  On  the  continent  the  tide  of  war 
had  turned  against  the  English  armies.  They  had  been  defeated  at  Rocroix,  Ouden- 
arde,  and  at  Lawfeld.  The  colonists  could  look  for  little  assistance  from  England. 
But  nothing  daunted,  they  were  now  meditating  an  expedition  against  Crown  Point 
when  they  learned  that  the  Empress  Elizabeth  of  Russia  had  pronounced  in  favor  of 
Maria  Theresa ;  that  the  terms  of  peace  had  been  arranged  between  England  and 
France  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  ;  and,  to  their  disgust  and  dismay,  that  England,  in  order 
to  regain  what  she  had  lost  in  Germany,  had  restored  Louisburg  to  France. 

Thus  the  first  nine  years  of  President  Clap's  administration  had  been  attended 
throughout  with  extraordinary  difficulties.  In  addition  to  the  jealousies  arising  from 
the  theological  and  religious  disputes  which  have  been  described,  the  people  of 
Connecticut  had  been  forced  to  meet  all  the  expenses  of  a  costly  war.  The 
exact  amount  which  the  war  had  cost  the  colony  it  is  not  possible  to  state.  The 
war  debt  of  Massachusetts  is  said  to  have  exceeded  a  half  million  sterling.  The 
expenses  of  Connecticut  could  not  have  been  less,  in  proportion  to  its  wealth  and 
population. 

It  was  well  for  the  college  that  during  these  years  it  had  a  presiding  officer  who  was 
so  capable  and  efficient.  In  these  years  of  war,  and  at  a  time  when  party  spirit  ran  so 
high,  the  college  continued  steadily  to  gain  a  firm  hold  on  the  public  confidence.  The 
number  of  students  so  increased  that  more  than  half  of  them  were  compelled  to  find 


=§ggg5gS^g?^£5^5"5JgB5HgHj 


** 


PRESIDENT  CLAP. 


77 


rooms  in  town  in  which  to  live.  In  this  state  of  things  there  was  need  of  a  new  dormi- 
tory for  the  students.  But  the  war  was  still  going  on.  Public  credit  was  at  a  low  ebb. 
The  colony  was  deeply  in  debt.  And  yet,  at  this  very  time,  such  was  the  ability  of 
President  Clap,  that  he  was  able  to  secure  the  assistance  of  the  legislature  in  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  building  for  the  college. 

The  explanation  of  his  remarkable  success  is  to  be  found  in  the  relation  in  which  he 
stood  to  the  "  Old  Light "  majority  in  the  legislature.  It  had  been  his  personal  influ- 
ence, it  will  be  remembered,  arising  from  the  community  of  feeling  between  him  and 
the  members  of  this  party,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  chief  pillars,  that  had  enabled 
him  to  obtain  a  new  charter  for  the  college  in  1 745  ;  and  it  was  this  same  personal 
influence  that  in  1  747  enabled  him  to  obtain  from  the  legislature  their  approbation,  in 
the  first  place,  of  a  scheme  for  raising  money  by  a  lottery,  and  afterwards  various  grants 
from  the  treasury  which  amounted  to  ^643.  They  were  willing  to  concede  to  him 
what  they  would  probably  have  done  to  no  one  else.  He  had  recently  given  fresh  evi- 
dence of  his  thorough  identification  with  the  "  Old  Light"  party  by  calling  to  account 
before  the  corporation  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cooke  of  Stratfield  (now  Bridgeport),  one  of  the 
Fellows,  for  having  assisted  in  organizing  the  "New  Light"  church  in  New  Haven. 
This  gentleman,  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  clergy  of  the  colony,  had  presided  in 
the  ex  parte  council  which  had  recognized  the  persons  who  had  seceded  from  Mr. 
Noyes's  church,  and  set  up  a  separate  service  in  New  Haven,  not  only  as  a  church, 
but  as  the  identical  church  from  which  they  had  withdrawn  themselves.  Mr.  Cooke 
had,  in  consequence,  found  it  expedient  to  resign  his  seat  in  the  board,  April  26,  1746. 
But  President  Clap,  by  his  action  in  the  matter,  had  added  to  his  reputation  with  the 
"Old  Light"  party;  and  his  influence  with  the  legislature  now  became  so  powerful 
that  it  was  even  made  a  matter  of  reproach  against  him  by  his  enemies.  One  of  the 
most  able  of  them  said  at  the  time:  "Scarce  any  man  in  our  Assembly  for  some  years 
has  had  more  concern  in  the  Assembly  than  he,  if  one  might  judge  by  his  constant 
presence  there." 

The  money  having  been  obtained,  additional  land  was  purchased  to  the  north  of  the 
original  college  lot,  and,  April  17,  1750,  the  foundation  of  the  building,  which  is  now 
known  as  South  Middle,  was  commenced.  The  building  was  finished  in  September, 
1752.  As  originally  constructed  it  was  one  hundred  feet  long,  forty  feet  wide,  and 
three  stories  high,  with  a  cellar  under  the  whole.  It  was  built  of  brick,  and  contained 
thirty-two  chambers  and  sixty-four  studies.  At  the  Commencement,  in  1752,  the 
President  and  Fellows  ordered  that  the  new  college  should  be  called  "  Connecticut 
Hall."  With  due  ceremony  they  walked  into  it  in  procession,  and  the  Beadle,  by 
order,  made  the  following  declaration  : 

"  Cum  e  Providentiae  Divinse  Favore,  per  Coloniae  Connecticutensis  munificentiam 
gratissimam,  hoc  novum  yEdificium  Academicum,  Fundatum  et  Erectum  fuerit ;  in  per- 
petuam  tantae  generositatis  memoriam,  ^Edes  haec  nitida  et  splendida  Aula  Connec- 
ticutensis nuncupetur." 

In  English  thus:  "Whereas,  through  the  favor  of  Divine  Providence,  this  new 
College  house  has  been  built  by  the  munificence  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut;    in 


78  YALE  COLLEGE. 

perpetual  commemoration  of  so  great  generosity  this  neat  and  decent  building  shall  be 
called  "  Connecticut  Hall." 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  attention  of  the  college  was  turned  to  the  results  of 
the  experiments  with  electricity  which  Benjamin  Franklin  had  been  making  for  some 
years,  and  which  were  everywhere  regarded  with  the  greatest  interest.  President 
Clap  and  the  Rev.  Jared  Eliot,  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  college,  had  long  been  in 
habits  of  friendly  correspondence  with  him,  and  in  consequence,  in  i  749,  Franklin  sent 
an  electrical  machine  to  the  college.  The  experiments  which  were  made  with  it  at 
this  time  by  Mr.  Ezra  Stiles,  one  of  the  tutors,  who  was  afterwards  to  be  known  as 
the  learned  President  of  the  college,  are  said  to  have  been  the  first  experiments  of 
the  kind  in  New  England. 

The  period  to  which  we  have  now  come  in  this  review  of  the  history  of  the  adminis- 
tration of  President  Clap,  is  memorable  also  as  being  the  time  at  which  took  place  the 
first  independent  action,  of  which  we  have  any  information,  on  the  part  of  the  students 
of  the  college,  for  the  purposes  of  self-improvement.  In  1753  the  Linonian  Society 
was  formed  by  the  undergraduates  for  the  purposes  of  debate  and  the  cultivation  of 
literary  studies,  which  for  more  than  a  hundred  years  was  to  exercise  a  marked  influ- 
ence on  the  institution,  and  which,  in  the  opinion  of  some  of  the  most  distinguished  of 
the  living  alumni,  has  been  scarcely  second  in  its  advantages  to  the  regular  instruction 
of  the  officers  of  the  college. 

Very  little  is  known  of  the  origin  of  this  society.  There  is  a  tradition  that  there 
was  another  society,  the  "  Crotonia,"  with  the  same  general  objects,  which  was  formed 
about  the  same  time.  Perhaps  it  is  not  too  much  to  hazard  the  suggestion  that  they 
both,  at  least  incidentally,  owed  their  origin  to  the  great  interest  which  President  Clap 
took  in  all  public  affairs,  and  to  the  efforts  which  he  made  to  excite  a  similar  interest 
among  the  students. 

We  have  seen  that  on  coming  to  New  Haven  he  made  some  important  changes  in 
the  established  system  of  education.  The  amount  of  time  given  to  mathematics  and 
natural  philosophy  was  very  much  increased.  More  attention  was  paid  also  to  literary 
studies,  and  an  effort  was  made  to  give  the  students  information  on  a  great  variety  of 
subjects.  Allusion  has  already  been  made  to  the  "disputes"  in  which  the  students 
were  exercised  before  the  President  on  every  Monday  and  Tuesday.  He  says  him- 
self: "  The  questions  were  taken  from  every  subject  which  occurs  in  the  whole  circle 
of  literature,  and  upon  almost  all  the  doubtful  points  which  have  been  publicly  disputed 
among  mankind."  The  students  were  in  the  habit  of  giving  a  summary  of  the  best 
arguments  which  could  be  produced  on  both  sides,  and  when  they  had  gone  through 
all  their  arguments  alternately,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  recapitulating  those  which 
seemed  to  be  the  most  plausible  on  each  side,  showing  their  real  force  or  weak- 
ness, and  giving  his  opinion  on  the  whole.  There  were  also  "declamations"  memoriter, 
twice  every  week,  which  were  beforehand  supervised  by  the  tutors,  who  corrected 
the  orthography  and  punctuation.  The  President  then  made  observations  upon  the 
manner  of  delivery,  and  sometimes  upon  the  subject.  There  were  also  orations 
pronounced  at  stated  intervals.     Thus   it  is  evident  that   President  Clap  was  making 


PRESIDENT  CLAP.  79 

constant  efforts  to  train  the  students  up  to  what  he  calls  "  an  agreeable  style  and 
method  of  writing." 

Now  all  this  was  at  a  time  when  there  was  very  great  mental  activity  in  the  commu- 
nity. Never  before  in  the  history  of  the  country  had  there  been  so  many  important 
subjects  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  people.  In  addition  to  those  which  have  already 
been  mentioned,  which  affected  the  people  of  Connecticut,  there  were  some  very  grave 
questions  with  regard  to  the  relation  of  the  colonists  to  the  mother  country  which  were 
beginning  to  alarm  all  thoughtful  men. 

For  a  hundred  years,  ever  since  the  settlement  of  the  country,  the  theory  had  been 
held  that  the  king  had  unlimited  legislative  authority  over  the  colonies.  But  in  prac- 
tice this  had  amounted  to  nothing.  There  had  been  occasionally  a  proposition 
brought  forward  in  England  to  tax  the  plantations,  but  such  propositions  had  received 
no  favor  from  Sir  Robert  Walpole.  He  had  said  :  "  I  will  leave  the  taxing  of  the 
British  colonies  for  some  of  my  successors  who  may  have  more  courage  than  I  have, 
and  be  less  a  friend  to  commerce  than  I  am."  He  did  not  care  even  to  make  any 
serious  effort  to  prevent  the  contraband  trade  which  was  then  so  universal.  But  when 
the  Duke  of  Bedford  came  in  as  Colonial  Secretary,  and  the  Earl  of  Halifax  as  First 
Commissioner  for  the  Plantations,  an  effort  was  made  to  subject  all  the  colonies  by  act 
of  parliament  to  the  future  orders  of  the  king.  At  once  the  officers  of  the  crown  in 
America  began  everywhere  to  scrutinize  the  privileges  enjoyed  by  the  people  and  to 
seek  some  way  to  abridge  them.  At  once  the  question  arose  what  were  the  rights 
which  the  colonists  had  as  Englishmen,  and  the  extent  of  those  rights. 

Under  the  lead  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  also,  another  important  question  began  to  be 
discussed :  whether  some  kind  of  union  of  the  colonies,  for  certain  specified  purposes, 
might  not  be  practicable  and  advisable. 

This  was  the  period  at  which  the  Linonian  Society  was  formed.  Whether  Rector 
Clap  had  anything  to  do  with  suggesting  to  the  students  at  this  time  that  they  should 
form  a  society  for  the  purposes  of  debate,  can  now  probably  never  be  ascertained ; 
but  it  is  significant  that  the  society  was  formed  at  a  time  when  there  were  so  many 
questions  attracting  public  attention,  and  at  a  time  when  he  was  himself  seeking  to 
awaken  an  interest  among  them  in  all  the  questions  of  the  day. 

It  may,  perhaps,  not  to  be  out  of  place  to  mention  that  it  was  about  this  time,  also, 
or  a  little  later,  a.d.  1757,  that  the  publication  of  the  first  newspaper  was  commenced 
in  New  Haven,  which  was  known  as  the  Connecticut  Journal.  The  vigor  of  its  edito- 
rial articles,  and  the  admirable  manner  in  which  the  columns  of  news  were  made  up, 
has  led  to  the  surmise  that  President  Clap  may  possibly  have  been  in  reality  for  some 
time  the  editor. 

Meanwhile,  an  important  change  in  the  feelings  and  views  of  President  Clap  was 
becoming  manifest,  which  was  to  prove  the  turning  point  in  his  life,  and  was  to 
have  a  lasting  effect  upon  the  interests  of  the  college.  Under  the  idea  of  repress- 
ing the  fanaticism  of  the  followers  and  imitators  of  Whitefield,  and  the  disorganizing 
tendencies  of  their  proceedings,  he  had  thrown  himself,  at  the  commencement  of 
the  revival,  into  the  party  of  the   "Old   Lights,"  and  had,  as  we  have  seen,  zealously 


So  YALE   COLLEGE. 

co-operated  with  them.  He  had  been  led  to  this  by  the  eminently  conservative 
tendency  of  his  mind,  by  his  feeling  that  the  interests  of  religion  were  at  stake,  and 
possibly  by  his  alarm  at  the  type  of  Calvinism  embraced  by  some  of  the  revival 
preachers.  Hut  in  the  progress  of  time  it  had  become  apparent  that,  notwithstanding 
the  disorders  which  had  accompanied  the  great  religious  awakening,  the  good  had 
preponderated  over  the  evil.  The  "New  Lights"  had  in  a  measure  worked  them- 
selves clear  from  the  extravagances  which  had  excited  his  alarm,  such  as  lay 
preaching,  outcries  in  worship,  bodily  agitations,  the  denunciation  of  ministers,  and 
the  adoption  of  enthusiastic  impulses  as  the  rule  of  judgment.  It  is  true  that  the 
preachers  had  departed  in  some  respects  from  the  form  of  Calvinism  to  which  he 
himself  was  attached,  and  they  had  made  what  they  considered  improved  statements 
in  theology;  but  they  were  still  Calvinists,  and  they  manifested  an  earnestness  in 
the  promotion  of  spiritual  religion  which  commanded  his  respect,  the  fruits  of  which 
were  seen  in  the  pious  lives  of  multitudes  of  people. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  "  Old  Light "  party,  in  the  prosecution  of  their  opposition  to 
religious  enthusiasm,  seemed  to  him  to  have  become  more  and  more  indifferent  to  all 
earnestness  in  religion.  They  expressed  great  abhorrence  of  the  doctrines  of  Cal- 
vinism, and,  in  his  estimation,  were  in  danger  of  being  led  away  into  a  dangerous 
laxity  of  opinion. 

The  first  hint  which  we  have  of  an  approaching  change  in  his  views  dates  as  far 
back  as  1 746.  What  was  done  at  this  time,  however,  seems  to  have  been  only  the 
result  of  his  dissatisfaction  with  the  preaching  of  Mr.  Noyes.  The  students  and 
officers  of  the  college,  from  the  time  of  its  removal  from  Saybrook  to  New  Haven,  had 
worshiped  in  the  parish  church  of  the  town.  As  the  difficulties  in  connection  with  the 
revival  broke  out  only  a  few  months  after  Rector  Clap  had  been  inducted  into  office, 
he  had,  by  his  action  in  opposition  to  those  who  were  seeking  to  secede  from  the 
church  of  Mr.  Noyes,  committed  himself  thoroughly  at  the  very  beginning  as  his  friend 
and  supporter.  But  he  soon  became  dissatisfied  with  his  preaching.  The  universal 
testimony  is  that  Mr.  Noyes  was  a  very  common-place  and  uninteresting  speaker.  He 
was  also  perfectly  non-committal  on  all  those  doctrinal  questions  which  were  then  con- 
sidered as  of  fundamental  importance.  It  is  not  surprising  then  that  his  ministrations 
should  be  utterly  distasteful  to  the  Rector,  who  was  a  man  of  firm  convictions  and  a 
zealous  Calvinist. 

Under  the  influence  of  this  dissatisfaction,  it  is  probable  that  the  course  which  he 
finally  adopted,  of  setting  up  an  independent  religious  service  for  the  students,  on  college 
ground,  suggested  itself  early  to  his  active  mind.  At  all  events,  in  1  746  the  corpora- 
tion, undoubtedly  at  his  suggestion,  voted  that  they  would  choose  a  public  Professor  of 
Divinity  in  the  college  as  soon  as  they  could  procure  a  sufficient  support ;  and  to  this 
end  they  ordered  that  a  donation  of  ^28  10s.  sterling,  which  had  just  been  made  to  them 
by  the  Hon.  Philip  Livingston,  of  Livingston  Manor,  one  of  His  Majesty's  Council  for 
the  Province  of  New  York,  and  which  had  been  given  with  the  understanding  that  it 
should  be  appropriated  as  should  be  judged  most  for  the  advantage  of  the  institution, 
should  be  set  apart  for  a  fund  for  the  maintenance  of  a  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the 


PRESIDENT  CLAP.  g, 

college.  Revolutionary  as  such  a  proceeding  as  was  here  shadowed  forth  would  have 
been  if  it  had  been  carried  out,  there  is  no  evidence  that  it  attracted  any  special  atten- 
tion or  comment  at  the  time.  The  confidence  of  the  "Old  Light"  party,  of  which  the 
President  was  one  of  the  main  pillars,  was  so  strong  in  him  that  it  was  undoubtedly 
felt  that  whatever  he  proposed  was  right. 

Nothing  more  was  done,  as  it  would  appear,  for  six  years.  But,  in  1752,  President 
Clap  had  become  thoroughly  alarmed  at  what  he  considered  the  latitudinarian  ten- 
dencies of  the  "  Old  Lights."  It  seemed  to  him  that  under  the  influence  of  the 
writings  of  such  men  as  Chubb,  Taylor,  Foster,  Hutcheson,  Campbell,  and  Ramsey, 
whose  works  were  being  introduced  into  the  country,  there  was  clanger  that  a  new 
scheme  of  doctrine  would  prevail.  Mr.  Noyes,  moreover,  had  begun  to  be  suspected 
of  sympathizing  with  some  of  the  errors  which  were  now  everywhere  rife.  This  alarm 
of  the  President  was  shared  by  many  of  the  friends  of  the  college.  The  parents  of  the 
students  also  began  to  express  their  dissatisfaction  that  their  sons  should  be  obliged  to 
sit  under  such  unsatisfactory  preaching  as  they  heard  in  the  parish  church.  The  col- 
lege was  in  fact  beginning  to  suffer  from  the  unpopularity  of  Mr.  Noyes  as  a  preacher. 
At  the  same  time  the  "  Separate  "  church  which  had  been  established  by  those  who 
had  seceded  from  Mr.  Noyes's  church  had  procured  a  minister  of  undoubted  piety, 
whose  orthodoxy  was  above  suspicion,  and  who  had  the  advantage  of  a  commanding 
person  and  a  handsome  and  impressive  elocution.  He  at  once  awakened  an  interest 
among  the  students,  who  were  eager  to  hear  him. 

Now  it  was  that  President  Clap  resolved  that  the  college,  without  further  delay, 
should  have  a  church  of  its  own,  with  a  Professor  of  Divinity  as  preacher,  that  so  the 
students  might  escape  the  danger  of  being  infected  with  error  by  means  of  the  preach- 
ing of  Mr.  Noyes.  Accordingly  in  1752  the  corporation  adopted  a  resolution  to  the 
effect  that,  as  soon  as  possible,  they  would  endeavor  to  raise  a  fund  for  the  support 
of  a  Professor  of  Divinity. 

The  measure  which  was  proposed  was  a  high-handed  one,  but  it  was  one  in  which 
the  President  was  likely  to  be  sustained,  in  consequence  of  the  change  which  was  now 
everywhere  manifest  in  public  sentiment.  Even  the  aspect  of  political  parties  had 
changed.  The  "Old  Lights"  were  no  longer  in  the  majority  in  the  legislature.  The 
"  New  Lights  "  had  been  originally  only  the  party  of  those  who  sympathized  with  the 
revival.  But  the  severe  ecclesiastical  laws  passed  by  the  "Old  Light"  majority  in 
1 742  and  1 743,  which  have  been  already  described,  had  alienated  large  numbers  of 
persons,  and  carried  them  over  to  the  ranks  of  the  "  New  Lights,"  although  they  were 
not  in  sympathy  with  the  religious  views  of  those  who  composed  the  party.  Public 
attention  was  now  beginning  to  be  turned  to  the  subject  of  liberty  and  freedom.  The 
agitation  on  that  subject  had  commenced  which  was  to  go  on  till  it  culminated  in  the 
revolutionary  struggle  of  1776;  and  to  the  large  and  influential  class  of  people  who 
were  interested  in  securing  guarantees  for\freedom,  it  seemed  as  if  the  sacred  rights  of 
liberty  were  infringed  by  such  bigoted  ecclesiastical  laws,  and  the  result  was  the  "  New 
Light "  party  was  in  a  majority  in  the  legislature. 

A  similar  change  had  taken  place  in  the  attitude  of  the  clergymen  of  the  colony. 

VOL.   I. II 


82  TALE  COLLEGE. 

Under  the  feeling  that  orthodoxy  and  the  religion  of  their  fathers  was  in  danger,  even 
the  majority  in  the  General  Association  of  the  Ministers  of  the  Colony  had  come  into 
sympathy  with  the  "  New  Lights,"  who  at.  least  were  thoroughly  Calvinistic.  The 
same  thing  was  true  of  the  corporation  of  the  college.  By  the  election  of  new  mem- 
bers, a  majority  of  the  trustees  were  "New  Lights." 

Under  these  circumstances  it  was  not  difficult  for  President  Clap  to  obtain  the  assist- 
ance of  the  legislature.  At  the  October  session,  1753,  they  declared  "that  one  princi- 
pal end  proposed  in  erecting  the  college  was  to  supply  the  churches  in  this  colony  with 
a  learned,  pious,  and  orthodox  ministry,  to  which  end  it  was  requisite  that  the  students 
of  the  college  should  have  the  best  instruction  in  divinity  and  the  best  pattern  of 
preaching  set  before  them.  And  as  the  settling  a  learned,  pious,  and  orthodox  Profes- 
sor of  Divinity  would  greatly  tend  to  promote  that  good  end  and  design,"  they  recom- 
mended that  a  general  contribution  should  be  taken  up  in  all  the  religious  societies  of 
the  colony  for  that  purpose. 

The  General  Association  of  the  Ministers  of  Connecticut  and  the  corporation  of 
the  college  also  requested  the  President  to  commence  at  once  himself  to  perform 
the  duties  of  a  Professor  of  Divinity,  and  to  preach  to  the  students  in  the  College 
Hall  on  Sunday  until  such  a  professor  should  be  elected.  Accordingly  in  Septem- 
ber, 1753,  public  worship  was  commenced,  for  the  first  time  on  Sunday,  on  college 
ground. 

But  this  was  not  the  only  measure  which  President  Clap  felt  it  to  be  important  to 
take  at  this  time  to  purge  the  college  from  every  suspicion  of  heresy  and  to  secure  its 
orthodoxy  at  a  time  when,  as  it  seemed  to  him,  all  kinds  of  corruption  in  doctrine 
were  spreading  in  the  community.  At  the  next  meeting  of  the  corporation,  November 
21,  they  made  a  declaration  to  the  effect  that  the  college  had  been  founded  by  men 
who  had  decided  views  with  regard  to  religious  doctrine,  and  that  their  principal 
design  had  been  to  educate  and  train  up  youth  for  the  ministry  according  to  the  doc- 
trine, discipline,  and  mode  of  worship  practiced  by  themselves ;  that,  as  successors  of 
the  said  founders,  being,  in  their  own  judgments,  of  the  same  principles  in  religion 
with  their  predecessors,  they  felt  themselves  bound  in  fidelity  to  the  trust  committed  to 
them  to  carry  on  the  same  design,  and  improve  all  the  college  estate  which  had 
descended  to  them,  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  given.  Accordingly  they  pro- 
ceeded to  pass  a  series  of  resolutions  more  stringent  than  those  of  1722,  according  to 
which  they  declared,  1st,  That  the  Scriptures  are  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice  in 
all  matters  of  religion  ;  2d,  That  the  true  sense  of  the  Scriptures  is  summed  up  in  the 
Assembly's  Catechism  and  Confession  of  Faith  ;  and,  3d,  That  the  particular  terms 
and  phrases  in  these  writings  are  to  be  understood  in  the  sense  in  which  they  are  gen- 
erally used  by  Protestant  divines.  They  also  declared  that  henceforth  every  officer  of 
the  college,  before  he  entered  upon  the  execution  of  his  office,  should  not  only  publicly 
give  his  consent  to  the  Assembly's  Catechism  and  Confession  of  Faith,  but,  in  addition, 
renounce  all  doctrines  or  principles  contrary  thereunto.  They  declared,  further,  that  if 
any  officer,  admitted  to  his  post  upon  the  condition  aforesaid,  should  afterwards  change 
his  sentiments,  he  was  bound  to  resign  it ;   and  that  if  any  such  officer  should  be  sus- 


PRESIDENT   CLAP.  8^ 

pected  of  having  fallen  from  the  profession  of  his  faith,  he  should  be  examined  by  the 
corporation. 

This  action  of  the  corporation  excited. at  once  the  indignation  of  the  "  Old  Light" 
party,  and  of  the  large  number  of  influential  men  throughout  the  colony  who  were 
opposed  to  all  confessions  of  faith  and  formulas  of  doctrine.  It  was  the  signal  for  the 
commencement  of  a  violent  personal  attack  upon  the  President.  It  was  claimed  that  by 
the  setting  up  of  a  preaching  service  within  the  walls  of  the  college,  which  was  within 
the  limits  of  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society  of  the  town,  he  was  doing  the  very  same 
thing  which  ten  years  before,  in  the  case  of  the  seceders  from  Mr.  Noyes's  church,  he 
had  denounced  as  irregular  and  schismatical.  Legal  measures  were  also  threatened  to 
bring  back  the  officers  and  students  to  their  former  place  of  worship.  To  meet  the 
criticisms  which  were  so  freely  made  upon  him  by  those  with  whom  he  had  formerly 
co-operated,  President  Clap  published  in  1754  a  pamphlet — The  Religious  Constitution 
of  Colleges — in  which,  after  giving  an  historical  account  of  the  origin  and  original  design 
of  colleges,  he  insisted  that  as  they  were  distinctively  religious  societies,  and  of  a  supe- 
rior nature  to  all  others,  they  had  a  right  to  carry  on  their  own  religious  instruction 
and  worship  and  ordinances  within  their  own  jurisdiction,  by  their  own  officers,  and 
under  their  own  regulations.  The  next  year — 1755 — he  followed  up  the  subject  with 
another  pamphlet,  A  Brief  History  and  Vindication  of  the  Doctrines  received  and  estab- 
lished in  the  Churches  of  New  England.  In  this  pamphlet  he  maintained  that  the 
great  motive  which  influenced  the  first  planters  of  New  England  to  come  to  these 
shores  was  that  they  might  enjoy  religion  in  the  purity  of  its  doctrine ;  that  the  doc- 
trines which  they  believed  and  professed  were  summed  up  in  the  confessions  of  the 
various  Protestant  bodies,  and  it  was  that  they  might  transmit  these  doctrines  down  to 
the  latest  posterity  that  they  had  founded  the  college ;  and  that,  under  these  circum- 
stances, it  was  the  bounden  duty  of  the  officers  of  the  college,  at  a  time  when  lax  views 
were  rife  in  the  country,  to  place  the  orthodoxy  of  the  college  above  suspicion,  by  some 
such  measure  as  the  test  act  which  they  had  passed  in  1753. 

Meanwhile  the  corporation,  undeterred  by  the  clamor  which  was  raised,  proceeded  to 
the  election  of  a  Professor  of  Divinity;  and  in  September,  1755,  made  choice  of  the 
Rev.  Naphtali  Daggett  of  Long  Island,  who  had  been  graduated  at  the  college  seven 
years  before  in  the  class  of  1748.  Mr.  Daggett  began  to  preach  to  the  students  in  the 
following  November,  and  on  the  3d  of  March,  1756,  all  things  being  ready  for  his 
installation,  the  corporation  entered  into  a  strict  examination  of  the  orthodoxy  of  the 
Professor  elect,  such  as  the  importance  of  the  office  and  the  dangers  of  the  crisis 
seemed  to  demand.  He  was  examined  as  to  his  principles  of  religion,  his  knowledge 
and  skill  in  divinity,  cases  of  conscience,  Scripture  history  and  chronology,  antiquity, 
skill  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  and  various  other  qualifications  for  a  professor.  On  the 
next  day  he  preached  in  the  College  Hall,  and  then  gave  his  assent  to  the  Westminster 
Catechism  and  Confession  of  Faith,  and  to  the  Saybrook  Platform ;  declared  his  belief 
that  the  Apostles'  Creed,  the  Nicene  Creed,  and  the  Athanasian  Creed  agree  with  the 
Word  of  God ;  assented  to  the  ninth  of  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  of  the  Church  of 
England,  being  that  which  relates  to  original  sin;  and  ended  by  presenting  an  extended 


84  YALE  COLLEGE. 

confession  of  his  faith  from  his  own  pen,  in  which  he  renounced  all  the  errors  and  here- 
sies which  commonly  go  under  the  name  of  Arianism,  Socinianism,  Arminianism,  Pela- 
gianism,  Antinomianism,  and  Enthusiasm.  He  was  then  formally  installed,  with  the 
usual  solemnities,  in  the  office  of  Professor  of  Divinity. 

It  is  a  curious  episode  in  this  long  struggle  that  for  some  months  after  this,  although 
Professor  Daggett  was  elected  as  a  Malleus  Hccreticorum,  and  although  he  was  a 
preacher  of  the  most  proved  and  approved  Calvinism,  he  was  invited  by  Mr.  Noyes, 
and  a  number  of  his  congregation,  to  conduct  the  services  half  the  time  in  the  parish 
church,  and  for  some  months  it  appears  that  the  students  attended  worship  there  as 
before.  His  ministrations  too  were  to  the  "good  liking"  of  Mr.  Noyes  and  his  con- 
gregation, although  they  were  reported  to  be  Arminian  in  their  views.  Dr.  Bacon  in 
his  History  puts  the  pertinent  inquiry:  "Does  not  this  indicate  that  the  bitter  con- 
troversy of  the  age  was  maintained  by  faction  and  passion  quite  as  much  as  by  any 
radical  or  irreconcilable  difference  of  opinion  ? "  This  arrangement,  by  which  Mr. 
Daggett  preached  in  the  parish  church,  was  not  approved  by  the  corporation,  who  pre- 
ferred to  have  the  students  gathered  as  a  distinct  congregation  by  themselves,  and  it 
was  soon  given  up. 

In  June,  1757,  an  application  was  made  to  the  corporation  by  the  tutors  and  several 
of  the  students,  members  as  they  declared  in  full  communion  in  several  churches,  who 
stated  that  they  were  desirous  to  attend  upon  the  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper  under 
the  administration  of  the  Reverend  Professor.  In  accordance  with  their  request,  a 
church  was  finally  organized,  and  the  regular  administration  of  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  was  commenced. 

It  marks  the  energy  of  President  Clap,  and  the  zeal  with  which  he  had  entered  into 
this  struggle,  that  he  took  measures  at  once  to  provide  a  house  for  the  Professor  of 
Divinity.  At  his  own  expense  he  purchased  a  lot  of  land,  which  he  presented  to  the 
corporation  for  the  use  of  the  incumbent  of  the  chair,  and  raised  a  subscription  for  the 
erection  of  a  house,  which  was  commenced  June,  1757,  and  finished  in  the  summer 
of  1758,  at  an  expense  of  ^287  sterling.  The  President,  then,  in  the  presence  of  a 
considerable  number  of  gentlemen,  put  the  Professor  into  the  possession  of  the  house, 
declaring  that  it  was  built  for  the  use  of  a  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  college,  who 
should  hold  and  preach  all  the  doctrines  contained  in  the  Catechism  and  Confession 
of  Faith ;  and  in  case  he  or  his  successor  should  hold,  teach,  or  maintain  any  contrary 
doctrine,  he  or  they  should  have  no  right  to  any  use  or  improvement  of  it.  The 
exercises  were  concluded  with  prayer  and  singing  a  psalm. 

All  these  proceedings  of  the  authorities  of  the  college  exasperated  still  more  those 
gentlemen  in  the  colony  who  were  opposed  to  confessions  of  faith  and  formulas  of  doc- 
trine, and  those  former  friends  of  the  President  with  whom  he  had  so  lately  co-operated 
in  the  "  Old  Light  "  party.  A  war  of  pamphlets  now  commenced,  which  was  conducted 
for  some  years  with  great  bitterness.  The  most  famous,  and  perhaps  the  most  able  of 
these — "  Some  Remarks  on  Mr.  President  Claps  History  and  Vindication  of  the  Doc- 
trines, etc.,  of  the  New  England  Churches''' — was  published  in  1757  anonymously,  but 
it  is  now  known  to  have  been  from  the  pen  of  Thomas  Darling,  Esq.,  of  New  Haven, 


PRESIDENT  CLAP.  85 

who  had  formerly  been  associated  with  President  Clap  in  the  government  of  the  college 
as  tutor  at  the  time  of  Whitefield's  second  visit  to  New  England,  and  who  had  united 
with  him  in  the  "declaration  "  which  was  then  published.  Mr.  Darling  claimed  that  the 
first  clause  of  the  religious  test  act  passed  by  the  corporation  in  1753,  in  which  it  is 
declared  that  the  Scriptures  are  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  was  irreconcilable 
with  what  is  said  afterwards,  to  the  effect  that  the  Scriptures  are  to  be  interpreted  by 
the  Assembly's  Catechism  and  Confession  of  Faith,  and  these  last  again  are  to  be 
interpreted  by  the  writings  of  the  Protestant  divines.  This  pamphlet  produced  a  great 
impression  upon  the  community,  but  there  was  a  coarseness  in  its  whole  tone  which 
was  in  marked  contrast  with  the  dignity  which  characterized  all  the  polemical  writings 
of  President  Clap.  Mr.  Darling  did  not  hesitate  to  charge  upon  his  distinguished 
opponent  that  he  was  actuated  by  unworthy  motives ;  that  it  was  his  desire  to  acquire 
more  power,  authority,  influence,  and  riches  that  had  led  him  to  set  up  separate 
worship  on  college  ground.  He  said:  "The  President's  desire  of  power  and  grandeur 
is  boundless.  The  more  officers,  as  professors,  chaplains,  and  tutors,  he  has  under 
him,  the  more  august  will  he  appear.  With  this  view  he  has  doubtless  separated  the 
college  from  New  Haven  First  Society,  that  he  might  with  a  better  grace  introduce  a 
professor,  or  rather  a  chaplain." 

But  the  special  significance  of  Mr.  Darling's  pamphlet,  whatever  may  be  thought  of 
his  argument  or  his  tone,  is  in  the  fact  that  it  is  to  be  considered  as  the  strong  protest 
of  the  traditional  spirit  of  liberality  which  had  always  characterized  the  New  Haven 
theologians,  against  the  attempt  which  President  Clap  was  now  making  to  put  fetters 
on  the  spirit  of  free  investigation.  It  has  been  one  principal  object  in  all  that  has  been 
said  thus  far  respecting  the  history  of  the  college,  to  show  that  from  the  first  both  the 
New  Haven  theology  and  the  New  Haven  ecclesiastical  polity  had  been  characterized 
by  freedom  in  opposition  to  all  attempts  to  set  up  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  in  the 
colony,  or  to  reduce  all  theological  thought  to  one  cast-iron  form.  Now,  under  the 
stress  of  controversy,  and  to  procure  a  temporary  advantage,  President  Clap,  with  his 
strong  individuality,  was  seeking  to  draw  the  college  out  of  the  line  of  its  traditions. 
However  little  sympathy  may  be  felt  for  Mr.  Darling's  own  views,  it  must  be  confessed 
that  he  is  to  be  regarded  as  the  champion  of  the  traditions  of  New  Haven  ;  as  it  will 
be  seen,  in  the  subsequent  history  of  the  college,  that  it  was  the  pupil  of  Mr.  Darling 
and  his  special  friend  Ezra  Stiles,  afterwards  President  of  the  college,  who  was  born 
within  the  original  limits  of  the  town  of  New  Haven,  and  imbued  like  him  with  this 
same  traditional  spirit,  who,  in  1778,  brought  the  college  back  into  the  historic  line. 
On  a  broad  view  of  the  history  of  New  Haven  from  1638  to  the  present  time,  it 
will  be  seen  that  there  is  a  thread  which  runs  through  the  whole  period  and  connects 
John  Davenport  and  James  Pierpont  with  Ezra  Stiles,  and  Timothy  Dwight,  and 
Jeremiah  Day,  and  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor,  and  the  historian  of  the  New  England 
churches,  and  the  other  men  who  to-day  are  the  authoritative  exponents  of  New  Haven 
views. 

But  to  return  to  the  controversy,  which  was  now  in  full  progress.  It  went  on  during 
the  whole  of  the  remainder  of   President  Clap's  term   of  office.      It  was    a  constant 


86  YALE  COLLEGE. 

source  of  danger  to  the  college,  but  it  was  by  no  means  the  only  one.  England  was 
again  at  war  with  France,  and  again  the  resources  of  the  colonists  were  taxed  to  the 
utmost.  For  years  the  college  was  obliged  to  struggle  amid  the  many  disturbing 
influences  which  followed  in  the  train  of  that  seven  years'  contest,  in  which  the  bravery 
and  the  treasure  of  New  England,  so  freely  expended,  were  rendered  of  no  avail  through 
the  want  of  enterprise  and  the  positive  imbecility  of  the  English  officers  who  were  sent 
to  conduct  the  successive  campaigns.  Under  these  circumstances  a  brief  digression 
may  be  pardoned,  for  the  purpose  of  glancing  at  the  progress  of  the  war,  whose  vary- 
ing fortunes  must  have  been  watched  with  intense  interest  by  the  little  academical 
body  gathered  in  these  peaceful  retreats. 

The  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  in  1748,  had  been  concluded  with  such  haste  or 
indifference  to  the  state  of  things  in  America  that  the  boundary  line  between  the 
English  and  French  possessions  had  been  left  unsettled  all  along  the  line  from  Nova 
Scotia  to  Carolina.  There  was  a  vague  understanding  that  the  line  should  be  as  it 
had  been  before  the  war,  but,  "for  a  quarter  of  a  century  before  the  war,  it  had  never 
ceased  to  be  a  subject  of  altercation."  The  natural  result  was  that  at  once  the  subjects 
of  each  nation  made  haste  to  secure  for  themselves  as  much  of  the  disputed  territory  as 
they  could.  The  valley  of  the  Ohio  was  the  prize  for  which  each  party  was  contend- 
ing. The  two  governments  remained  at  peace,  but  every  year  the  relations  of  the 
hardy  explorers  and  settlers  on  the  frontier  were  becoming  more  and  more  warlike, 
and  at  last,  May  27,  1754,  came  the  collision,  when,  at  the  Great  Meadows,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Youghiogeny,  a  young  officer,  whose  name  was  as  yet  unknown  to  fame, 
Colonel  George  Washington,  gave  the  order  to  the  men  who  were  under  his  command 
to  fire  on  the  intruding  French,  and  so  opened  a  war  which  was  to  be  waged  for  years 
in  both  hemispheres  and  to  extend  beyond  the  Ganges. 

The  next  year,  1755,  war  was  not  formally  declared  between  England  and  France, 
but  the  colonists  were  encouraged  to  act  against  the  enemy.  Four  expeditions  were 
fitted  out :  one  to  proceed  against  the  French  on  the  Ohio,  one  against  Nova  Scotia, 
one  against  Niagara,  and  one  against  Crown  Point.  At  the  last  place  was  the  fortress 
which  had  given  the  French  the  command  of  Lake  Champlain  and  protected  the 
advance  and  retreat  of  the  Canadians  and  Indians  whenever  they  were  disposed  to 
come  clown  to  harass  the  frontier  of  New  England.  Everywhere  in  Connecticut  was 
the  greatest  alacrity  to  assist  in  an  effort  to  drive  the  French  from  this  fortress,  so  long 
and  so  universally  dreaded.  The  colony  raised  a  thousand  men  and  placed  them 
under  the  command  of  one  of  the  recent  graduates  of  the  college,  Major-General 
Phineas  Lyman.  The  legislature  also  laid  a  tax  of  two  pence  in  the  pound  on  the 
whole  ratable  estate  of  the  colony.  But  the  hopes  of  the  colonists  were  doomed  to 
disappointment.  On  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela  General  Braddock  met  with  a 
humiliating  defeat,  and  the  forces  sent  against  Crown  Point  scarcely  fared  better. 
Colonel  Williams,  so  honorably  known  as  the  founder  of  Williams  College,  fell  into  an 
ambush  near  the  southern  end  of  Lake  George,  and  was  killed  ;  and  the  main  body  of 
the  army,  which  was  collected  at  Fort  William  Henry,  were  only  just  saved  from  anni- 
hilation by  the  French,  who  were  led  by  Baron  Dieskau.     The  result  of  this  battle  at 


PRESIDENT  CLAP. 


87 


Lake  George  spread  a  great  alarm  throughout  Connecticut,  and  in  a  little  more  than  a 
week  from  the  reception  of  the  tidings,  two  new  regiments,  composed  of  fourteen 
hundred  men,  were  raised,  equipped,  and  were  on  the  march  to  the  relief  of  their  com- 
rades. The  population  of  the  colony,  at  this  time,  was  only  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
two  thousand. 

In  January  of  the  next  year,  1756,  war  was  at  last  formally  declared,  and  it  was 
announced  that  the  English  government  intended  to  prosecute  it  with  vigor.  The  Earl 
of  Loudoun  and  General  Abercrombie  were  to  be  sent  to  direct  the  operations.  Con- 
necticut raised  once  more  twenty-five  hundred  men,  and  had  them  early  at  the 
appointed  rendezvous.  But  the  Earl  of  Loudoun  did  not  even  leave  England  till  the 
last  of  May.  Great  expectations  had  been  formed  of  what  he  was  to  accomplish,  and 
when  he  arrived  he  was  received  in  his  progress  through  the  country  with  great  enthu- 
siasm. It  is  interesting  to  know  that  he  came  to  New  Haven,  where  he  was  respect- 
fully waited  upon  by  President  Clap.  But  the  Earl  of  Loudoun  and  General 
Abercrombie,  although  ten  thousand  men  were  awaiting  them  at  Albany,  in  high 
spirits,  and  waiting  to  be  led  against  Crown  Point — the  largest  army  ever  assembled  in 
America — did  absolutely  nothing.  Meanwhile  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  a  young  and 
enterprising  French  officer,  was  pushing  his  way  southward,  and  made  an  easy  con- 
quest of  Oswego,  one  of  the  most  important  posts  which  the  English  had  in  America. 

The  next  year,  1757,  it  was  supposed  that  the  war  was  to  be  prosecuted  vigorously 
for  the  reduction  of  Crown  Point ;  and  Connecticut  early  raised  its  full  quota  of  troops. 
But,  instead  of  what  was  expected,  the  Earl  of  Loudoun  sailed  away  with  six  thousand 
troops  to  attempt  the  reduction  of  Louisburg,  and  was  so  dilatory  in  all  his  movements 
that  at  last  he  was  obliged  to  return  without  striking  a  blow.  Meanwhile  the  Marquis 
de  Montcalm  seized  the  occasion  to  make  an  attack  upon  Fort  William  Henry  at  the 
south  end  of  Lake  George,  which,  owing  to  the  amazing  want  of  forethought  and  cul- 
pable negligence  of  the  English  General,  Webb,  who  was  stationed  close  by  at  Fort 
Edward,  he  took  without  difficulty.  Once  more  New  England  was  filled  with  appre- 
hension lest  Montcalm  should  force  his  way  to  Albany  and  come  down  upon  the 
unprotected  frontier.  In  this  emergency,  Connecticut  again  raised  and  sent  off  in  a 
few  days  five  thousand  men,  making  the  whole  number  of  troops  in  actual  service  this 
year  over  six  thousand  men. 

The  records  of  the  college  furnish  interesting  evidence  of  the  disheartening  effect  of 
the  campaign  of  this  year  upon  the  academic  community.  September  14,  1757,  the 
corporation  passed  the  following  vote  : 

"  Whereas,  the  present  calamitous  and  distressing  war  loudly  calls  us  to  repentance  and  reformation,  and  to 
the  practice  of  industry  and  frugality,  and  all  kinds  of  luxury  and  extravagance  and  disorder  are  in  a  particular 
manner  wrong  and  undesirable  at  this  time  ;  it  is  therefore  ordered  that  the  next  Commencement  shall  be 
private,  on  such  a  day  as  the  President  shall  appoint  in  August  or  September  next  ;  he  giving  notice  to  the 
candidates  to  attend  at  some  convenient  time  beforehand. 

"And  whereas,  the  candidates  for  the  first  degree  have  heretofore  obliged  every  one  in  the  class  to  pay  their 
proportionate  part  of  the  charge  of  purchasing  a  pipe  of  wine  at  the  Commencement,  this  Board  do  now  pro- 
hibit that  practice  ;  but  allow  the  President  and  tutors,  or  either  of  them,  to  give  liberty  to  particular  per- 
sons to  get  such  quantities  of  wine  as  they  in  their  discretion  shall  think  proper." 


88  VALE  COLLEGE. 

The  colonies,  in  view  of  the  imbecility  and  want  of  energy  and  incapacity  of  the 
English  commander,  had  lost  all  confidence  in  the  ability  of  England  to  give  them  any 
assistance;  when,  in  1758,  Mr.  Pitt  became  minister,  and  at  once  infused  new  life  into 
the  contest.  In  consequence  of  his  spirited  appeals,  and  his  promises,  the  people  of 
Connecticut  were  incited  to  a  new  effort.  The  legislature  declared  that  although  they 
had  heretofore  raised  each  year  far  more  than  their  proper  quota,  yet  "  that  nothing 
might  be  wanting  to  promote  the  great  and  good  design  proposed  by  His  Majesty," 
they  resolved  to  raise  five  thousand  troops.  Two  taxes  were  levied ;  one  of  ninepence 
in  the  pound.  But  they  were  doomed  again  to  disappointment.  One  of  the  expedi- 
tions, under  Lord  Amherst  and  General  Wolfe,  went  against  Louisburg,  which  was 
taken  ;  but  the  other,  in  which  they  were  more  particularly  concerned,  against  Crown 
Point,  completely  failed  through  the  mismanagement  of  General  Abercrombie,  who  was 
defeated  at  Ticonderoga,  and  fell  into  such  contempt  that  he  was  henceforth  nick- 
named through  New  England  General  Nabbycrombie ;  importing,  as  was  said,  that 
"  petticoats  would  become  him  much  better  than  breeches." 

In  the  year  1759  the  tide  of  battle,  under  the  genius  of  Mr.  Pitt,  had  turned.  The 
French  were  obliged  to  abandon  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  Niagara  was  taken; 
and  at  last,  on  the  heights  of  Abraham,  the  battle  was  fought  by  the  immortal  Wolfe 
which  wrested  Quebec  from  France,  and  thenceforth  the  British  flag  was  to  wave  over 
the  castle  of  St.  Louis,  which  for  a  century  had  been  the  terror  of  all  New  England. 
This  year  also  Connecticut  raised  five  thousand  men. 

In  1 760,  in  answer  to  a  fresh  appeal  from  Mr.  Pitt,  to  complete  the  conquest  of 
Canada,  five  thousand  men  were  raised  once  more.  In  1761,  for  securing  the  con- 
quered territory  and  garrisoning  the  forts,  two  thousand  three  hundred  men  were 
raised.  In  1762  two  regiments,  two  thousand  three  hundred  men  in  the  aggregate, 
were  raised  again,  and  war  having  been  declared  by  England  against  Spain,  troops 
were  enlisted  who  participated  in  the  expedition  which  was  successful  in  the  reduc- 
tion of  Havana,  August  13,  1762.  But  now  affairs  in  Europe  had  taken  such  a  direc- 
tion that  the  British  government  was  able  to  arrange  a  general  peace,  and  by  the 
treaty  which  was  signed  in  Paris,  February  10,  1763,  Canada,  to  the  joy  and  bound- 
less satisfaction  of  New  England,  was  finally  relinquished  by  France. 

The  events  of  this  war  as  they  affected  Connecticut  have  been  described  with  some 
minuteness  for  the  reason  that  the  remarkable  ability  which  President  Clap  displayed 
at  this  time  cannot  be  understood  without  a  distinct  conception  of  the  difficulties  with 
which  he  had  to  contend. 

During  all  the  period  of  this  costly  war,  in  which  the  best  blood  of  the  colony  was 
so  freely  drained,  and  ,£400,000  were  expended  by  Connecticut,  over  and  above  all 
money  received  from  England,  he  had  to  sustain  a  constant  attack  from  those  whom  he 
had  offended  by  his  action  with  regard  to  the  test  law,  and  the  establishment  of  a  chair 
for  a  Professor  of  Divinity,  and  of  a  separate  place  of  worship.  Fault  was  found  with 
almost  everything  that  had  been  done  during  his  administration.  The  students  were 
encouraged  in  acts  of  insubordination.  The  war  of  pamphlets  continued,  and  so  bitter 
was  the  feelimr  of  his  assailants  that  efforts  were   made  to  shake  the  confidence  of  the 


PRESIDENT  CLAP. 


89 


community  even  in  his  honesty.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all,  the  college  continued  to 
improve  in  general  efficiency.  So  great  also  was  the  number  of  students  that  the 
accommodations  of  the  old  College  Hall  proved  to  be  entirely  insufficient,  and  it  was 
felt  that  there  was  a  necessity  for  a  new  building  "  for  religious  and  scholastic  exer- 
cises." The  library  room  was  also  too  small  for  the  books  and  apparatus.  It  was 
surely  proof  of  no  small  administrative  ability  that  in  the  closing  years  of  an  exhausting 
war,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  controversy  which  united  so  many  persons  in  hostility  to 
the  college,  President  Clap  was  able  to  go  forward  as  he  did,  and  raise  for  the  erection 
of  a  new  college  building,  which  could  be  used  as  a  chapel,  a  large  contribution  in 
money,  and  to  induce  the  legislature  to  supplement  it  by  a  gift  of  ^245  13s.  gd.  The 
new  chapel  was  begun  in  1 76 1,  and  the  outside  was  nearly  finished  that  summer.  It 
was  built  of  brick  ;  was  fifty  feet  long  and 
forty  feet  wide,  and  was  provided  with  a 
steeple.  The  room  on  the  lower  floor, 
which  was  designed  to  be  used  as  the 
chapel,  was  furnished  with  galleries  and 
three  "  rostra,"  as  they  were  termed,  for 
the  students  when  they  delivered  orations 
and  disputations.  Over  this  room  was  an- 
other for  the  library.  In  June,  1763,  the 
chapel  was  opened  with  a  sermon  preached 
by  the  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  presence 
of  the  President  and  Fellows  and  a  large 
number  of  the  friends  of  the  college. 

The  success  which  attended  the  efforts  of 
President  Clap  to  erect  a  chapel  for  the  col- 
lege was  undoubtedly  owing  to  the  fact  that 
he  was  now  sustained  by  the  "  New  Light" 
party ;  and  an  event  happened  about  this 
time  which  shows  how  completely  he  had 
changed  his  relations  in  reference  to  the  two  great  political  and  religious  parties 
of  the  day.  In  June,  1764,  Whitefield  made  a  third  visit  to  New  Haven,  and,  at 
the  special  invitation  of  the  President,  preached  in  the  new  chapel.  The  state  of 
things  in  college  at  the  time  was  somewhat  peculiar.  It  was  just  after  the  close  of 
the  war  with  France,  and  the  popular  hatred  of  that  country  had  hardly  subsided  when 
the  students,  by  some  insult,  real  or  fancied,  managed  to  exasperate  some  Frenchmen 
residing  in  New  Haven  to  such  a  degree  that,  intent  on  revenge,  some  of  them  gained 
access  to  the  kitchen  where  the  food  was  cooked  for  the  commons,  and  mixed  arsenic 
with  the  dishes  prepared  for  the  table.  Many  of  the  students  had  been  made  violently 
sick,  but  most  of  them,  under  proper  medical  treatment,  had  recovered.  It  was  just 
after  this  event  that  Whitefield  preached,  and  his  sermon  is  said  to  have  had  a  very 
marked  influence  on  the  students.  In  a  letter  written  from  New  York,  June  25, 
1764,  Whitefield   said:    "To  crown    the    expedition,  after  preaching  at    New   Haven 

VUL.    1. 12 


CHAPEL,  A.D.  1763.       [ATHENAEUM.] 


90  YALE  COLLEGE. 

college,  the  President  came  to  me  as  I  was  going  off  in  the  chaise,  and  informed  me 
that  the  students  were  so  deeply  impressed  by  the  sermon  that  they  were  gone  into 
the  chapel,  and  earnestly  entreated  me  to  give  them  one  more  quarter  of  an  hour's 
exhortation."  There  could  hardly  be  more  conclusive  evidence  of  the  change  which 
President  Clap  had  made  in  his  views  since  the  time  when,  with  the  tutors,  he  pub- 
lished his  "  Declaration  "  against  him.  But  there  is  still  another  illustration  of  the 
change  in  the  views  of  President  Clap  with  regard  to  the  "New  Light"  theologians, 
which  deserves  to  be  mentioned:  the  text-book  which  he  gave  to  the  class  of  1762  to 
be  used  in  their  recitations  on  moral  philosophy,  was  President  Edwards's  "  Treatise 
on  the  Will." 

The  college  now  seemed  prosperous  to  an  unprecedented  degree,  but  notwithstand- 
ing this  evidence  that  its  affairs  were  well  managed,  the  enemies  of  the  President  did 
not  cease  their  attacks  upon  him.  They  asserted  that  in  his  government  of  the  institu- 
tion he  was  extremely  arbitrary,  and  that  the  students  were  subject  to  oppressive  exac- 
tions from  which  they  had  no  appeal.  They  asserted  also  that  the  annual  expenses  of 
the  students  were  fixed  at  a  higher  sum  than  necessary,  in  order  that  money  might  be 
raised  to  enable  the  President  to  carry  out  his  ambitious  projects.  So  persistently 
were  these  charges  reiterated  that  at  last  grave  suspicions  began  to  be  entertained  by 
numbers  of  persons  throughout  the  colony  with  regard  to  the  President's  method  of 
government  and  his  management  of  the  funds  of  the  college.  This  feeling  became  so 
strong  that  at  last,  in  1763,  a  memorial  was  preferred  to  the  legislature  by  several 
gentlemen  of  the  highest  respectability,  in  which,  in  view  of  the  abuses  which  they 
declared  to  abound  in  the  government  of  the  college,  they  called  for  the  interference  of 
the  legislature  as  the  founders  of  the  institution,  lest  the  college,  as  they  stated,  should 
become  too  independent.  To  secure  the  end  which  they  had  in  view,  they  prayed  that 
the  legislature  would  pass  an  act  to  authorize  an  "appeal  from  any  and  every  sentence 
given  by  the  authority  of  the  college,  to  the  Governor  and  Council  of  the  colony  for 
the  time  being,  and  that  the  said  legislature  would  immediately  issue  forth  a  Com- 
mittee of  Visitation,  enabling  some  suitable  persons  to  inquire  into  all  the  affairs  of  said 
college,  and  either  of  themselves  rectify  all  abuses  which  they  may  discover,  or  make 
report  of  what  they  shall  find,  with  their  opinions  thereon,  to  the  said  Assembly,  at 
their  next  session."  The  memorialists  were  supported  by  William  Samuel  Johnson 
and  Jared  Ingersoll,  the  two  most  learned  and  famous  attorneys  in  the  colony,  who 
alleged  that  the  General  Assembly  founded  the  college  by  giving  a  charter  in  the  year 
1 701,  which  contained  a  donation  of  about  £60  sterling,  to  be  annually  paid  out  of  the 
public  treasury,  and  by  sundry  subsequent  donations,  especially  five  tracts  of  land,  in 
the  year  1732;  and  that  the  present  Assembly,  as  successors  to  the  founders,  had  a 
right  of  visitation  by  the  common  law.  They  further  alleged  that  such  an  appeal  and 
visitation  were  "very  necessary  to  preserve  the  good  order  and  regulation  of  the 
college  upon  all  accounts,  and  particularly  to  preserve  orthodoxy  in  religion." 

The  enemies  of  the  college  were  now  jubilant  in  the  expectation  that  they  were  at 
last  to  succeed  in  their  efforts  to  control  the  action  of  the  President ;  and  its  friends 
were  not  without  their  fears  and  anxieties.     But  President  Clap  now  proved  himself 


PRESIDENT  CLAP.  CJl 

to  be  fully  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  this  action  of  his  enemies  only  gave  him  an 
opportunity  of  displaying  his  learning,  and  his  fearless  and  self-reliant  character,  in  a 
way  which  has  since  excited  much  admiration. 

The  President  first  replied  to  the  memorialists  in  a  paper  in  which  he  denied  most 
of  the  allegations  which  they  had  made  as  not  founded  in  fact,  or  as  gross  perversions 
of  the  truth.  He  denied  the  right  of  visitation  in  the  legislature;  and  as  to  the  disor- 
ders in  the  college  which  were  complained  of,  he  produced  the  confessions  of  the 
students  that  they  had  been  advised  by  others,  not  members  of  the  college,  "  to  run 
into  riots,  rebellions,  and  disorders  to  bring  a  scandal  upon  the  college,  and  the  Rev. 
President's  government  of  it."  This  reply,  after  noticing  every  part  of  the  memorial, 
closes  in  the  following  manner:  "We  would  beg  leave  to  make  this  proposal  to  your 
honors,  as  patrons  of  the  college,  that  if  your  honors,  in  your  great  wisdom,  can  find 
out  a  way  to  prevent  the  raising  of  such  false  reports  and  misrepresentations,  and  the 
students  from  being  instigated  and  insnared  by  bad  advice  from  others,  we  will  promise 
and  engage  that  this  college  shall  be  governed  and  kept  in  as  good  order  as  any 
college  in  the  world." 

The  President  also  prepared  an  address  to  the  legislature,  in  which  he  examined  the 
arguments  of  the  counsel  for  the  petitioners.  He  admitted  "  that  the  General  Assem- 
bly, in  their  legislative  capacity,  have  the  same  authority  over  the  college,  and  all  the 
persons  and  estates  belonging  to  it,  as  they  have  over  all  persons  and  estates  in  the 
colony  ;  and  all  that  power,  which  is  necessary  for  the  good  of  the  college,  or  the  gen- 
eral good  of  the  community  ;  and  that  our  especial  respect  and  gratitude  is  due  to 
them  as  its  greatest  benefactors  ;  yet  they  are  not  to  be  considered  as  founders  or 
visitors  in  the  sense  of  the  common  law."  He  maintained  that  the  ministers  who  made 
the  first  donation  in  1 700  were  the  founders  of  the  college,  and  that  by  the  common 
law  "he  is  the  founder  quoad  dotationcm  (to  whose  heirs  or  successors  the  law  gives  the 
right  of  visitation)  who  makes  the  first  donation."  That  eminent  jurist,  Chancellor 
Kent,  in  an  address  which  he  made  before  the  alumni  of  the  college  in  1834,  refers  to 
the  claim  which  was  at  this  time  set  up  that  the  General  Assembly  had  a  right  by  the 
common  law  to  appoint  visitors  of  the  college,  and  says  President  Clap  "opposed  this 
pretension  in  a  counter-memorial  and  argument,  drawn  boldly,  and  with  the  confidence 
of  a  master,  from  his  own  mental  resources.  He  grounded  himself  upon  English 
authorities  in  the  true  style  of  a  well-read  lawyer,  and  successfully  contended  that  the 
first  trustees  and  donors,  prior  to  the  charter,  were  the  founders  and  lawful  visitors, 
and  that  the  right  of  visitation  passed  to  the  trustees  under  the  charter,  and  then 
resided  in  the  President  and  Fellows.  An  argument  of  such  solidity  reminds  us  of  the 
powerful  discussions  in  the  celebrated  case  of  Dartmouth  College,  in  which  the  same 
doctrines  were  advanced  and  sustained  by  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States." 

The  memorialists  had  asked  that  there  might  be  an  "appeal  from  all  and  every  sen- 
tence given  by  the  authority  of  the  college,  to  the  Governor  and  Council  of  the  colony 
for  the  time  being."  To  this  President  Clap  replied  "that  such  an  appeal  would  retard 
and  obstruct  all  the  proceedings  of  the  authority  of  the  college,  it  being  found  by 


Q2  i'A/./C  COLLEGE. 

universal  experience  that  in  all  instances  wherein  a  liberty  of  appeal  is  allowed,  the 
judgment  appealed  from  is  of  no  force  or  efficacy  except  that  which  may  arise  from  the 
extraordinary  trouble  and  charge  of  bringing  the  case  to  a  trial  in  the  court  appealed 
to;  that  such  a  constitution  would  take  the  government  of  the  college  wholly  out  of  the 
hands  of  those  in  whom  it  was  originally  vested,  and  be  contrary  to  the  charter." 

It  had  been  urged  that  the  appointment  of  visitors  was  necessary  "to  preserve  ortho- 
doxy in  the  governors  of  the  college."  To  this  it  was  replied,  "that,  according  to  the 
original  design  of  the  founders  of  the  college,  the  President,  Fellows,  and  Professor  of 
Divinity,  and  Tutors,  are  to  be  admitted  upon  condition  of  their  consent  to  the  Confes- 
sion of  Faith  agreed  upon  by  the  churches  in  the  colony,  in  1 708,  and  established  by 
the  laws  of  the  government.  That  there  is  not  the  like  security  of  the  orthodoxy  of 
visitors  or  any  other  in  the  civil  order,  except  His  Most  Excellent  Majesty,  who,  by  the 
act  of  Union,  is  obliged  to  consent  to  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith,  received  in 
the  Church  of  Scotland,  as  being  agreeable  to  God's  Word,  and  containing  the  sum 
and  substance  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Reformed  Churches."  "This,"  Professor  Kingsley 
observes,  "  was  understood  to  be  an  intimation  that  if  the  project  of  appointing 
visitors  of  the  college  was  persisted  in,  the  President  and  Fellows  would  appeal  to 
the  king." 

In  the  account  of  the  result  of  this  reply  to  the  memorialists,  which  was  drawn  up  by 
President  Clap  himself,  and  published  in  his  history  of  the  college,  there  is  a  certain 
grim  satisfaction  displayed  which  makes  it  deserving  of  being  quoted  in  this  connec- 
tion. He  says:  "When  these  arguments  were  considered  by  the  honorable  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  but  very  few  appeared  to  be  of  the  opinion  that  the  Assembly  were  the 
founders  of  the  college,  and  so  they  acted  nothing  upon  the  memorial,  and  it  is  gen- 
erally supposed  that  this  question  will  never  be  publicly  moved  again." 

President  Clap  had  now  completely  triumphed  in  what  was  the  great  contest  of  his 
life,  but  it  is  a  question  whether  the  very  completeness  of  his  success  was  not  attended 
with  some  temporary  disadvantages.  He  had  proved  that  the  college  was  perfectly 
independent,  and  responsible  only  to  the  corporation,  the  legal  successors  of  the 
original  founders ;  but  the  effect  was  only  to  increase  the  number  of  those  who  looked 
with  suspicion  and  ill-will  upon  the  college,  and  to  make  it  still  more  unpopular 
through  the  colony. 

In  this  state  of  things  the  students  continued  to  be  encouraged  by  persons  outside  of 
the  college  to  acts  of  insubordination,  and  it  is  evident  that  the  President  was  finding  it 
more  and  more  difficult  to  uphold  his  authority,  when  his  troubles  became  still  further 
complicated. 

Two  of  the  tutors  adopted  the  theological  opinions  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Sandaman, 
which  at  that  time  were  spreading  in  Connecticut.  President  Clap  insisted,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  test  laws  of  1753,  that  they  should  resign.  This  they  did  in  1765.  The 
remaining  tutor,  unwilling  to  retain  his  place  after  they  had  left,  also  resigned.  The 
new  tutors  who  were  elected  to  replace  them  found  their  position  so  uncomfortable 
that  they  too  resigned  in  the  summer  of  1  766.  And  now  the  strong  man  had  become 
hopelessly  involved  in   the  toils  of  the  enemies  who  were  watching  for  his  downfall. 


PRESIDENT  CLAP.  93 

The  college  was  in  a  state  of  anarchy.  Many  of  the  students  went  home,  and  at  last, 
in  July,  the  President  offered  his  own  resignation  to  the  corporation.  They  replied  by 
expressing  their  earnest  desire  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  continue  in  office  "as  long 
as  Divine  Providence  would  permit,  or  at  least  till  the  next  Commencement."  He 
accordingly  presided  and  gave  degrees  at  the  Commencement  in  September,  and  at 
the  close  of  the  exercises  of  the  day  pronounced  a  valedictory  oration,'  and  publicly 
resigned  his  place  as  head  of  the  college. 

The  corporation  passed  a  vote  the  same  day,  in  which  they  say:  "We  find  ourselves 
obliged  with  grief  to  accept  the  President's  resignation,  but  think  ourselves  bound  to 
return  him  our  sincere  and  hearty  thanks  for  his  great,  good,  and  long  service  in  this 
college,  which  he  has  governed  and  instructed  with  great  diligence,  zeal,  and  faithful- 
ness for  a  course  of  many  years  ;  and  with  great  and  extraordinary  economy  and  fru- 
gality managed  the  concerns  of  it  and  the  building  of  the  new  college  and  chapel ;  and 
we  heartily  wish  him  a  happy  repose  and  a  glorious  and  abundant  reward  in  the  world 
above,  with  Jesus  and  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect." 

President  Clap  did  not  long  survive  his  resignation.  In  less  than  four  months,  after 
a  short  illness,  he  died  in  New  Haven,  January  7,  1767,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his 
age. 

Thus  ended,  after  the  labors  of  twenty-seven  years,  the  academic  services  of  one 
whose  reputation  will  be  ever  dear  to  the  college.  His  lot  was  cast  in  troubled  times. 
His  term  of  office  began  with  the  Spanish  war  of  1739,  and  it  ended  during  the  excit- 
ing discussions  which  attended  the  attempt  of  the  British  government  to  enforce  the 
Stamp  Act  in  America.  It  was  in  the  very  year  that  he  resigned  that  the  Stamp  Act 
was  repealed.  It  was  well  for  the  college  that  during  such  a  period  the  presiding 
officer  was  a  man  of  fearlessness,  of  energy,  and  decision.  That  one  who  was  so  full 
of  the  gaiidium  ccrtaminis  did  not  fall  into  errors,  is  too  much  to  claim.  His  purposes 
once  formed  were  carried  out  with  too  much  inflexibility.  Unfortunately  he  lacked, 
also,  a  conciliatory  manner.  He  was  too  imperious  in  his  treatment  of  those  who  did 
not  agree  with  him.  President  Stiles  says,  "sic  volo  sic  jubco  was  inwrought  in  his 
make;"  but  for  untiring  zeal  and  disinterestedness  in  laboring  for  the  advancement  of 
what  he  thought  to  be  the  best  interests  of  the  college,  there  is  no  one  in  the  whole 
line  of  Presidents  more  worthy  of  the  grateful  remembrance  of  the  alumni  than 
Thomas  Clap. 


MONUMENT  OE  PRESIDENT  CLAP.  GROVE-STREET  CEMETERY. 


HOUSE    OF   THE   PROFESSOR   OF    DIVINITY,  A. D.    1 758. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

REV.  NAPHTALT  DAGGETT,   PRESIDENT  PRO  TEMPORE,  A. D.   1766-1777. 

A  Successor  to  President  Clap  not  easily  found. — Professor  Daggett  elected  President  pro  tempore. 
— Dawn  of  the  Revolution. — A  Succession  of  Tutors  of  unusual  Ability. — A  Chair  of  Natural  Philoso- 
phy founded. — Rev.  Nehemiah  Strong  elected  Professor.— Democratic  Tendencies  of  the  Times. — A 
new  Debating  Society. — The  Brothers  in  Unity. — The  College  Laws  printed  in  English. — Names  of 
Students  arranged  alphabetically  in  the  Catalogue. — Growth  of  a  Taste  for  English  Literature 
throughout  the  Country. — It  is  seen  among  the  Students. — John  Trumbull. — Timothy  Dwight. — - 
David  Humphreys. — Trumbull  and  Dwight  elected  Tutors  a.d.  1 77 1 . — Trumbull  writes  the  First 
Book  of  the  "Progress  of  Dullness.  " — Criticises  the  Curriculum  of  Studies  in  the  College. — Dwight 
commences  the  "Conquest  of  Canaan." — Trumbull  becomes  Treasurer  of  the  College. — Writes 
"MacFingal." — Inspiring  Influence  of  Dwight  as  an  Instructor. — The  Students  petition  for  Leave 
to  employ  him  as  their  Instructor  in  English  Literature. — Battles  of  Lexington  and  Concord. — Effect 
upon  the  College. — Ebenezer  Huntington. — Difficulty  of  procuring  Food. — Students  dismissed  to  their 
Homes,  Decemebr  10,  1776. — Resignation  of  President  Daggett,  April,  1777. 


On  the  resignation  of  President  Clap,  in  1 766,  the  corporation  chose  as  his  suc- 
cessor the  Rev.  James  Lockwood  of  Wethersfield  ;  and,  on  his  declining  to  accept  the 
office,  proceeded  at  once  to  elect  the  Professor  of  Divinity,  the  Rev.  Naphtali  Daggett, 
D.D.,  President  pro  tempore,  with  the  understanding,  however,  that  he  was  to  continue 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  professorship. 

The  period  of  eleven  years — 1766  to  1777 — in  which  Dr.  Daggett  acted  as  President, 
was  one  of  intense  political  excitement.  Charles  Townshend,  the  author  of  the  Stamp 
Act,  was  now  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  and  was  proceeding  to  carry  out  his 
American  policy.  In  order  to  make  public  officers  in  the  colonies  independent  of  the 
people,  he  procured  a  bill  to  be  passed  in  parliament,  in  1767,  imposing  duties  on 
importations  into  America ;  with  the  design  of  thus  raising  a  revenue  with  which  to  pay 
their  salaries.  The  legislature  of  Massachusetts  at  once  drew  up  a  remonstrance,  and 
straightway  "  rang  the  alarm  bell  "  to  the  rest  of  America.  Then  followed  swiftly  the 
quartering  of  troops  in  Boston  in  1 768  ;  the  Boston  massacre  in  1 769  ;  the  destruction 
of  the  tea  in  the  harbor  of  Boston  in  1773  ;  the  closing  of  the  port  of  Boston,  and  the 
meeting  of  Congress  in  Philadelphia  in  1774  ;   the  opening  of  the  drama  of  the  Revo- 

94 


PRESIDENT  DAGGETT. 


95 


lution  at  Lexington  and  Concord  ;  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  the  expedition  to 
Canada  in  1775  ;   the  Declaration  of  Independence  in  1776. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  the  excitement  attendant  upon  these  revolutionary  events,  the 
college,  during  the  greater  part  of  the  administration  of  President  Daggett,  continued 
to  be  on  the  whole  remarkably  prosperous.  This  seems  to  have  been  owing  in  great 
measure  to  the  fact  that  the  corporation  were  able  to  secure  a  succession  of  tutors  of 
unusual  ability.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned,  as  they  were  known  by  their  subse- 
quent titles,  Hon.  Stephen  Mix  Mitchell  of  Wethersfield,  a  Judge  of  the  Superior 
Court ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Wales,  the  successor  of  Dr.  Daggett  in  the  professorship  of 
Divinity ;  Hon.  John  Trumbull ;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dwight,  afterwards  President ;  Rev.  Dr. 
Strong  of  Hartford  ;  Hon.  John  Davenport,  for  eighteen  or  twenty  years  a  member  of 
Congress  from  Connecticut ;  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Buckminster  of  Portsmouth,  New  Hamp- 
shire. Dr.  Daggett,  being  occupied  with  the  duties  of  his  professorship,  the  manage- 
ment of  the  college  was  left  in  great  degree  to  the  tutors.  But,  as  Professor  Kingsley 
has  said,  "a  college  instructed  by  such  a  succession  of  tutors  could  not  fail  to  flourish." 
The  instruction,  however,  was  not  entirely  in  their  hands  after  the  year  1  77 1,  for  at 
that  time  the  corporation  founded  a  professorship  of  Natural  Philosophy,  and  placed 
the  Rev.  Nehemiah  Strong  in  the  new  chair. 

The  democratic  tendencies  of  the  times  were  attended,  however,  by  some  results 
worthy  of  mention.  One  of  these  was  the  formation  of  a  new  debating  society  among 
the  students,  as  a  rival  to  "  Linonia."  It  seems  to  have  been  felt  that  this  society  was 
too  aristocratic  and  exclusive.  No  Freshman  had  originally  been  admitted  into  it.  A 
change  had  lately  been  made  in  this  respect,  but  there  was  still  a  prejudice  against  it 
in  the  minds  of  many.  Accordingly,  in  1 768,  a  new  society,  to  which  the  name  was 
given  of  "  Brothers  in  Unity,"  was  formed  by  students  selected  from  all  the  under- 
graduate classes.  Prominent  among  the  founders,  its  members  have  ever  delighted  to 
refer  to  David  Humphreys,  afterwards  Minister  of  the  United  States  to  Spain,  although 
it  is  doubtful  whether  at  the  time  he  could  have  done  much  to  shape  the  policy  of  the 
society,  as  he  was  yet  a  Freshman.  On  account  of  its  democratic  constitution,  the 
"Brothers  in  Unity"  was  able  for  a  time  to  eclipse  the  older  society  in  its  popularity 
among  the  students. 

Another  evidence  of  the  change  of  feeling  which  was  going  on  in  the  country  is  to 
be  seen  in  the  action  of  the  corporation  in  1772,  in  which  they  showed  an  unusual 
willingness  to  conform  to  the  popular  wishes.  A  short  time  before,  during  a  discussion 
in  the  legislature,  a  question  had  arisen  with  regard  to  the  laws  of  the  college,  and  a 
copy  of  them  had  been  sent  for.  They  were  found  to  be  in  Latin ;  and  the  opinion 
was  expressed  in  the  legislature  that  they  had  better  be  in  the  vernacular.  The  cor- 
poration at  once  ordered  them  to  be  translated  and  printed  in  English. 

Another  more  noticeable  siom  of  the  democratic  tendencies  of  the  times  was 
exhibited,  in  1768,  in  the  arrangement  of  the  names  of  the  students  in  the  college 
catalogue  in  alphabetical  order.  Before  this,  the  names  had  been  arranged  according 
to  the  rank  in  society  which  it  was  supposed  their  fathers  held  ;  and,  according  to  Dr. 
Woolsey,  one  of  the  most  severe  punishments  consisted  in  placing  a  student  on  the 


96 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


list,  in  consequence  of  some  offense,  below  the  rank  to  which  his  father's  condition 
would  assign  him,  and  thus  declaring  that  he  had  disgraced  his  family.  Dr.  Woolsey 
tells  the  story  of  a  shoemaker's  son,  who,  when  questioned  as  to  the  quality  of  his 
father,  replied  that  he  was  upon  the  bench,  which  gave  him  of  course  a  high  place. 

But  perhaps  the  most  important  event  in  the  history  of  the  college  during  the  presi- 
dency of  Dr.  Daggett  was  the  growth  among  the  students  of  a  taste  for  literature,  and 
a  disposition  to  make  the  literature  of  their  native  tongue  a  subject  of  study.  It  would 
not  appear  that  this  was  owing  to  any  change  in  the  appointed  studies  of  the  college. 
It  has  been  already  stated  that  President  Clap  had  exerted  himself  in  various  ways  to 
train  the  students  to  what  he  called  "  an  agreeable  style  and  method  of  writing,"  and 
that  the  orthography  and  punctuation  of  the  compositions  of  the  students  were  cor- 
rected by  the  tutors ;  but  there  can  be  no  question  that  the  accepted  canons  of  taste 
and  criticism  at  that  time  were  very  imperfect.  Exercises  of  the  kind  described  were 
still  kept  up  for  the  benefit  of  the  students.  But  the  new  spirit,  to  which  allusion  has 
been  made,  was  not  owing  to  this  cause.  It  was  rather  one  of  the  results  of  the 
intense  political  excitement  which  had  stimulated  mental  activity  in  every  direction. 
Here  and  there,  also,  in  the  homes  of  the  educated  and  cultured  classes,  the  influence 
of  the  best  recent  English  writers  had  begun  to  be  felt.  The  works  of  the  English 
essayists  had  found  their  way  to  this  country,  and  were  beginning  to  be  read,  as  was 
also  the  poetry  of  Dryden,  and  Pope,  and  Thomson,  and  Milton. 

As  far  as  the  college  is  concerned,  the  first  evidence  we  have  of  any  manifestation  of 
interest  in  English  literature  seems  to  have  been  among  the  students  themselves.  In 
the  class  of  1767,  the  first  class  to  which  President  Daggett  gave  degrees,  was  a  young 
man  of  whom  the  extraordinary  story  is  told  that  he  had  been  fitted  for  college  at  the 
age  of  seven.  As  he  was  then  altogether  too  young  to  be  sent  from  home,  he  was 
allowed  to  employ  the  interval  between  seven  and  thirteen,  when  he  entered  college,  in 
pursuing  his  studies  still  further  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  classics.  He  had  shown  very 
early  a  great  love  for  the  poets  of  his  own  language,  and  had  committed  much  of  their 
poetry  which  was  within  his  reach  to  memory,  and  now,  while  waiting  to  commence  his 
academic  life,  he  occupied  himself  with  reading  the  best  English  authors,  and  in  efforts 
at  original  poetical  composition.  This  young  man,  who  graduated  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, was  John  Trumbull,  who,  as  the  author  of  "  MacFingal,"  was  to  be  known  as 
one  of  the  first  in  the  annals  of  American  literature  to  distinguish  himself  as  a  poet. 
The  early  history  of  Trumbull  was  substantially  also  the  history  of  Timothy  Dwight, 
afterwards  to  be  known  as  the  distinguished  President  of  the  college  and  the  author  of 
numerous  poetical  works,  who  graduated  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  in  the  class  of  1  769 ; 
and  of  David  Humphreys,  who  graduated  in  r  77 1,  at  about  the  same  age. 

Trumbull  remained  for  three  years,  after  graduating,  in  New  Haven,  "occupied  in  a 
general  course  of  literary  study."  Dwight  was  also  at  the  same  time  in  New  Haven, 
where  he  filled  the  position  of  Rector  of  the  Hopkins  Grammar  School.  In  1771  these 
two  friends  were  called  to  be  tutors  in  the  college.  That  up  to  this  time  there  had 
been  no  change  in  the  curriculum  of  academic  studies  would  appear  from  the  poem 
which  Trumbull  now  proceeded  to  write  and  publish  in  the  first  year  of  his  tutorship. 


PRESIDENT  DAGGETT. 


97 


It  received  the  title  of  "The  Progress  of  Dullness."  It  was  a  satire  written  with  a 
view  to  expose  the  absurdities  then  prevalent  in  the  system  of  instruction  pursued  at 
college.  His  feeling  was  that  the  learned  languages,  mathematics,  logic,  and  scho- 
lastic divinity,  received  altogether  a  disproportionate  amount  of  the  time  of  the  stu- 
dents, while  the  pursuit  of  literature,  which  was  of  equal  importance,  was  considered 
idle  and  worthless. 

While  Trumbull  was  writing  "The  Progress  of  Dullness,"  Dwight  was  also  busy 
upon  a  poem  which  he  called  "  The  Conquest  of  Canaan."  An  anecdote  which  has 
been  often  related  may  here  be  told  again,  as  it  illustrates  so  well  the  pleasant  terms 
on  which  the  two  tutors  lived,  and  also  Trumbull's  wit  and  true  literary  taste :  Dwight, 
in  a  part  of  his  poem  which  he  had  first  submitted  to  his  friend,  had  introduced  several 
descriptions  of  thunder-storms.  On  handing  him  a  second  portion  of  his  manuscript, 
Trumbull  told  him  if  there  were  any  more  thunder-storms  in  it  he  hoped  he  would  fur- 
nish him  with  a  licditnincr-rod  ! 

"  The  Progress  of  Dullness  "  is  especially  valuable  at  the  present  time  for  the  light 
which  it  throws  on  college  life  at  the  period  it  was  written.  The  poem  is  a  satire,  and 
is  to  be  interpreted  as  such ;  but  we  have  so  few  descriptions  of  college  life  at  that 
period,  that  the  descriptions  in  it,  however  exaggerated,  are  valuable. 

The  following  lines  describe  the  college  exquisite  of  the  time : 

"Lo! 

The  coxcomb  trips  with  sprightly  haste, 
In  all  the  flush  of  modern  taste  ; 
Oft  turning,  if  the  day  be  fair, 
To  view  his  shadow's  graceful  air  ; 
Well  pleased,  with  eager  eye  runs  o'er 
The  laced  suit  glittering  gay  before  ;  * 
The  ruffle,  where,  from  open'd  vest, 
The  rubied  brooch  adorns  the  breast ; 
The  coat,  with  lengthening  waist  behind, 
Whose  short  skirts  dangle  in  the  wind ; 
The  modish  hat,  whose  breadth  contains 
The  measure  of  the  owner's  brains  ; 
The  stockings  gay  with  various  hues  ; 
The  little  toe-encircling  shoes  ; 
The  cane,  on  whose  carv'd  top  is  shown 
An  head,  just  emblem  of  his  own  ; 
While  wrapp'd  in  self,  with  lofty  stride, 
His  little  heart  elate  with  pride, 
He  struts  in  all  the  joys  of  show, 
That  tailors  give  or  beaux  can  show. " 

But  the  special  object  of  Trumbull,  as  he  himself  says,  was  "  to  point  out,  in  a  clear 
and  concise  manner,  those  general  errors  that  hinder  the  advances  of  education."  He 
contends  that  "  the   mere  knowledge  of  ancient  languages,  of  the  abstruser  parts  of 

*  This  passage  alludes  to  the  modes  of  dress  then  in  fashion. 
VOL.  I. — 13 


gS  VALE  COLLEGE. 

mathematics,  and   the  dark  researches   of  metaphysics,  is   of  little   advantage    in  any 
business  or  profession  in  life  ;  "  and  that  "  it  would  be   more  beneficial,  in   every  place 
of  public  education,  to  take  pains  in  teaching  the  elements  of  oratory,  the  grammar  of 
the  English  tongue,  and  the  elegancies  of  style  and  composition." 
He  thus  expresses  his  views  in  the  poem  : 

"  And  yet,  how  oft  the  studious  gain 
The  dullness  of  a  lettered  brain  ; 
Despising  such  low  things  the  while, 
As  English  grammar,  phrase  and  style  ; 
Despising  ev'ry  nicer  art 
That  aids  the  tongue,  or  mends  the  heart ; 
Read  ancient  authors  o'er  in  vain, 
Nor  taste  one  beauty  they  contain  ; 
Humbly  on  trust  accept  the  sense, 
But  deal  for  words  at  vast  expense  ; 
Search  well  how  every  term  must  vary 
From  Lexicon  to  Dictionary  ; 
And  plodding  on  in  one  dull  tone, 
Gain  ancient  tongues  and  lose  their  own, 
Bid  every  graceful  charm  defiance, 
And  woo  the  skeleton  of  science." 

The  change  which  he  hopes  for  is  thus  described  : 

"  Oh  !  might  I  live  to  see  that  day, 

When  sense  shall  point  to  youths  their  way  ; 
Through  every  maze  of  science  guide  ; 
O'er  education's  laws  preside  ; 
The  good  retain,  with  just  discerning 
Explode  the  quackeries  of  learning  ; 
Give  ancient  arts  their  real  due, 
Explain  their  faults,  and  beauties  too  ; 
Teach  where  to  imitate,  and  mend, 
And  point  their  uses  and  their  end. 
Then  bright  philosophy  would  shine, 
And  ethics  teach  the  laws  divine  ; 
Our  youths  might  learn  each  nobler  art, 
That  shows  a  passage  to  the  heart ; 
From  ancient  languages  well  known 
Transfuse  new  beauties  to  our  own  ; 
With  taste  and  fancy  well  refined, 
Where  moral  rapture  warms  the  mind, 
From  schools  dismiss'd,  with  lib'ral  hand, 
Spread  useful  learning  o'er  the  land  ; 
And  bid  the  eastern  world  admire 
Our  rising  worth,  and  bright'ning  fire." 

Trumbull  remained  in  the  tutorship  for  two  years  ;  and,  during  this  period,  continued 
his  attack  upon  what  he  considered  the  absurdities  then  prevalent  in  respect  to  educa- 


PRESIDENT  DAGGETT.  99 

tion,  adding  two  new  books  to  "  The  Progress  of  Dullness."  In  1773  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Connecticut,  and  the  next  year  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
New  Haven,  where  in  1775  he  wrote  the  last  part  of  "  MacFingal,"  which  is  said  to 
have  rapidly  passed  through  thirty  editions.  In  1776  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  the 
college,  which  office  he  filled  till  his  removal  a  few  years  after  to  Hartford.  Dwight 
continued  to  hold  the  office  of  tutor  six  years  from  1 77 1  to  1777. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  to  the  inspiring  influence  of  these  two  men  is  to  be 
ascribed  the  commencement  of  an  attention  among  the  students  to  English  literature, 
and  rhetoric  and  oratory.  But  it  would  appear  that  at  least  during  the  presidency  of 
Dr.  Daggett,  the  interest  which  was  awakened  in  these  studies  was  owing  rather  to  the 
example  set  by  these  tutors  of  what  might  be  done  in  a  literary  career,  and  particularly 
to  the  private  instructions  given  by  Mr.  Dwight,  and  not  to  any  change  in  the  regular 
course  of  instruction  yet  adopted  in  the  college  by  the  authorities.  As  late  as  October 
23,  1776,  within  six  months  of  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Daggett,  we  find  the  following 
minute  upon  the  records  of  the  corporation  : 

"  Upon  application  made  to  this  board  by  Mr.  Dwight,  one  of  the  tutors,  at  the 
desire  of  the  present  senior  class,  requesting  that  they  might  be  permitted  to  hire  the 
said  Mr.  Dwight  to  instruct  them  the  current  year  in  rhetoric,  history,  and  the  belles 
lettres :  Upon  considering  the  motion,  the  corporation  being  willing  to  encourage  the 
improvement  of  the  youth  in  those  branches  of  polite  literature,  do  comply  with  their 
request,  provided  it  may  be  done  with  the  approbation  of  the  parents  or  guardians  of 
the  said  class." 

The  cautious  permission  here  given  shows  that  the  authorities  of  the  college  were 
hardly  yet  prepared  to  adopt  a  more  liberal  course  of  study.  It  is  evident  that  it  was 
by  the  outside  instructions  which  are  here  alluded  to  that  the  interest  in  the  new 
studies  was  aroused  and  stimulated  among  the  students.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Dwight  at 
this  time  gave  a  course  of  lectures  on  style  and  composition  similar  in  plan  to  the 
lectures  of  Blair,  which  had  not  then  come  before  the  public. 

But  the  unfortunate  state  of  the  country  resulting  from  the  progress  of  the  Revo- 
lution was  now  to  affect  the  college  very  seriously.  The  annual  subsidy,  which  it  had 
received  from  the  legislature  since  the  time  of  its  foundation,  was  discontinued  on 
account  of  the  public  necessities.  With  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities,  the  attention 
of  the  students,  also,  could  not  but  be  distracted  by  the  great  events  which  were 
now  occurring.  How  many  of  them  gave  up  their  studies  and  joined  the  various 
volunteer  companies  which  were  now  forming  in  every  part  of  Connecticut,  it  is  not 
easy  to  say ;  but  it  seems  proper  to  mention  the  name  of  one — Ebenezer  Huntington 
— who  afterwards  rose  to  a  high  position  in  the  Continental  army.  His  father  was 
one  of  the  wealthiest  merchants  in  the  country.  It  is  said  that  at  this  time  he  had 
twenty  ships  afloat  on  the  ocean.  When  an  armed  collision  first  seemed  to  be 
approaching  between  the  colonies  and  the  mother  country,  he  called  all  the  members 
of  his  family  together — his  wife,  his  five  sons,  and  his  two  daughters — and,  after  asking 
in  prayer  the  blessing  and  guidance  of  God,  he  informed  them  that  if  there  was  an 
appeal  to  arms  he  had  resolved  to  embrace  the  cause  of  his  country's  independence, 


lOO  YALE  COLLEGE. 

even  if  he  lost  his  entire  property.  He  then  asked  each  one  of  them  by  name  what 
they  would  do.  With  one  voice  they  pledged  themselves  to  follow  his  example. 
When  the  tidings  reached  New  Haven  in  April,  1775,  that  blood  had  flowed  at  Lex- 
ington and  Concord,  Ebenezer,  who  was  a  student  in  the  college,  at  once  asked  for  a 
dismission  and  started  for  the  seat  of  war. 

Interruptions  in  the  routine  of  college  life  now  became  frequent,  and  at  last,  Decem- 
ber 10,  1776,  the  President  dismissed  the  students  to  their  homes  "  until  the  end  of  the 
winter  vacation,"  January  8,  1777,  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  subsisting  them  in 
New  Haven  "  for  want  of  regular  commons."  This  difficulty,  and  the  necessity  of 
providing  for  them  elsewhere,  were  due  to  the  fact  that  New  Haven  had  already 
suffered  severely  in  the  war.  In  1774,  Colonel  Wooster,  in  a  report  to  Governor 
Trumbull,  which  is  the  earliest  account  of  the  commerce  of  the  town  which  is  definite 
in  its  details,  had  said:  "The  shipping  belonging  to  this  port  are  one  hundred  and 
eight  vessels,  consisting  of  brigantines,  sloops,  and  schooners,  amounting  to  seven 
thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy  tons,  carpenter's  measure.  The  number  of  sea- 
faring men  is  seven  hundred  and  fifty-six."  But  the  vessels  belonging  to  the  port 
were  now  almost  all  destroyed,  and  business  of  every  description  was  greatly  inter- 
rupted. 

After  a  few  weeks,  it  would  seem  that  it  became  again  almost  impossible  to  procure 
provisions  for  the  students.  Accordingly,  at  a  meeting  of  the  trustees,  April  1,  1777, 
the  following  votes  were  passed  : 

"  Whereas,  the  difficulties  of  subsisting  the  students  in  this  town  are  so  great — the  price  of  provisions  and 
board  so  high,  and  the  avocations  from  study  occasioned  by  the  state  of  public  affairs  so  many — difficulties 
which  still  increase  and  render  it  very  inconvenient  for  the  students  to  reside  here  at  present ; — and  yet  con- 
sidering the  great  importance  that  they  be  under  the  best  advantages  of  instruction  and  learning  circumstances 
will  permit ; — voted,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  Board  it  is  necessary  to  provide  some  other  convenient  place  or 
places  where  the  classes  may  reside  under  their  respective  tutors,  until  God  in  his  kind  providence  shall  open 
a  door  for  their  return  to  this  fixed  and  ancient  seat  of  learning,  and  that  Messrs.  Taylor  and  Goodrich  be  a 
committee  for  that  purpose,  and  make  report  to  the  next  meeting  of  the  Board." 

"And  whereas,  it  may  be  necessary,  in  this  time  of  war  and  public  danger,  for  the  security  of  the  library 
and  other  valuable  papers,  that  they  be  removed  to  some  distance  from  the  sea  ; — voted,  That  the  President,  Mr. 
Williams,  and  Mr.  Treasurer  Trumbull  be  a  committee  to  do  what  they  shall  judge  proper  in  that  respect, 
who  are  empowered  to  remove  the  whole  or  part  of  the  library,  and  all  the  appurtenances  of  the  college,  to 
such  place  as  they  shall  think  most  convenient  and  safe." 

At  the  same  meeting  the  following  letter,  agreed  to  by  the  corporation  and  signed 
by  the  President,  was  ordered  to  be  sent  to  the  civil  authorities  and  selectmen  of  New 
Haven : 

"Gentlemen  : — Whereas,  from  the  peculiar  difficulties  of  the  present  times,  the  President  and  Fellows  of 
Yale  College  in  this  town  find  themselves  under  the  disagreeable  necessity  of  leaving  the  college  buildings 
empty  for  a  season,  and  think  some  special  care  is  necessary  for  their  preservation  ;  in  particular  that  no 
troops  that  may  be  stationed  here  or  pass  through  the  town  (unless  absolute  necessity  requires  it)  be  quartered 
in  them,  they  take  the  liberty  to  address  you  with  their  earnest  desire  that,  as  far  as  in  you  lies,  you  would 
have  an  inspection  of  them,  and  use  your  endeavor  to  preserve  them  from  harm  and  damage. 


PRESIDENT  DAGGETT. 


IOI 


"The  President  and  Fellows  are  extremely  sorry  that  they  are  obliged  to  take  this  step,  but  would  be  more 
so  should  the  college  buildings  be  damaged  and  rendered  unfit  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  designed, 
since  they  are  determined  to  call  the  students  to  this  their  ancient  and  fixed  seat  of  abode  as  soon  as  circum- 
stances will  permit,  and  hope  you  will  kindly  accept  this  trust  and  inspection,  by  which  you  will  greatly  oblige 
your  assured  friends  and  humble  servants. 

"  By  order  of  the  President  and  Fellows  of  Yale  College  in  New  Haven. 

"  Naphtali  Daggett,  President." 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  session  of  the  corporation,  Dr.  Daggett,  in  view  of  the 
embarrassed  condition  of  the  affairs  of  the  college,  resigned  the  office  of  President, 
retaining,  however,  that  of  Professor  of  Divinity. 

The  trustees  met  again  on  the  30th  of  April,  and  proceeded  to  make  arrangements 
for  the  instruction  of  the  students  during  the  summer  term.  They  directed  the  Fresh- 
man class  to  assemble  in  Farmington,  and  the  Sophomore  and  Junior  classes  to 
assemble  in  Glastonbury,  under  their  respective  tutors ;  and  they  requested  Tutor 
Dwight  to  procure  some  suitable  place  for  the  Seniors,  "  where  they  might  be  under 
his  care  and  government."  They  furthermore  requested  Professor  Strong  to  take  up 
his  residence  at  Glastonbury  ;  and  Dr.  Daggett,  the  Professor  of  Divinity,  "  to  visit  the 
different  classes  as  often  as  he  could  with  convenience." 

One  more  entry  on  the  records  of  the  corporation,  for  the  academic  year  1776-7, 
will  complete  the  picture  of  the  sad  condition  to  which  the  institution  was  now 
reduced : 

"  May  27,  1777.  —  Voted,  That  the  Senior  class  be  dismissed  on  the  20th  of  July,  without  any  public  exam- 
ination or  exhibition." 


SEAL  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


UNION    HALL,    A.D.  1794   (SOUTH    COLLEGE). 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

RE}'.  EZRA  STILES,  D.D.,  PRESIDENT,  1778-1795. 

Gloomy  Prospects.- — Burgoyne's  Invasion. — Influential  Citizens  alienated  from  the  College  in  conse- 
quence of  the  Religious  Test  Laws  of  President  Clap. — Others  jealous  on  account  of  its  Independence 
of  State  Control. — Rev.  Ezra  Stiles,  D.D.,  elected  President. — He  obtains  the  Repeal  of  the  Relig- 
ious Test  Laws.— Asks  for  permanent  Professors. — Obtains  a  Promise  of  Co-operation  from  prominent 
Civilians. — His  Inauguration. — New  Haven  visited  by  a  British  Force  under  General  Tryon,  July  5, 
1 779. — Ex-President  Daggett  participates  in  the  Defense  of  the  Town. — He  is  wounded  and  dies,  A.D. 
1780. — Professor  Strong  resigns,  A.D.  1781. — Hon.  Silas  Deane  proposes  that  Instruction  in  the 
French  Language  should  be  provided. — A  Dining-Hall  erected,  A.D.  1782. — Rev.  Samuel  Wales 
elected  Professor  of  Divinity,  A.D.  1782. — Independence  of  the  American  Colonies  acknowledged  by 
Great  Britain,  September  3,  A.D.  1783. — Difficulties  of  the  College  not  yet  at  an  end. — Wide-spread 
Feeling  of  Hostility  to  it  in  the  State. —Efforts  of  President  Stiles  to  allay  the  Hostility. — His 
Conference  with  Committees  of  the  Legislature. — At  last  he  is  successful.— Favorable  Report  of  the 
Committee  of  the  Legislature,  October,  1791. — Plan  of  Hon.  James  Hillhouse  to  raise  Money. — The 
long  Estrangement  between  the  Legislature  and  the  College  brought  to  an  end. — Funds  of  the 
College  increased. — A  new  Dormitory  built. — It  is  called  Union  Hall. — Endowment  of  the  Professor- 
ship of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy. — Mr.  Josiah  Meigs  elected  to  fill  the  Chair,  A.D. 
1794. — Death  of  Professor  Wales. — Death  of  President  Stiles,  May  12,  1795. — The  extraordinary 
Difficulties  with  which  he  had  to  contend. — His  special  Claim  to  the  Gratitude  of  the  Alumni. — His 
Reputation  as  a  Scholar. 


When  the  corporation  met  in  September,  1777,  the  condition  of  the  affairs  of  the 
college  must  have  given  them  great  concern. 

It  was  one  of  the  darkest  periods  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Burgoyne  was 
sweeping  down  from  Canada  with  a  well- disciplined  army  of  seven  thousand  men, 
expecting  to  effect  a  junction  with  General  Clinton,  who  was  to  advance  to  meet  him 
from  New  York.  Washington  had  been  forced  to  retire  beyond  the  Delaware,  and  his 
men  were  almost  entirely  destitute  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  Connecticut  was  now  an 
independent  State,  but  all  its  resources  were  exhausted  in  raising  soldiers  and  forward- 
ing supplies  to  the  army.  With  a  population  of  only  about  two  hundred  thousand, 
twenty-two  full  regiments  were  in  actual  service  out  of  the  State.  The  college  was 
without  a  presiding  officer.     The  senior  tutor,  Mr.  Dwight,  had  resigned  in  order  to 

102 


J^Lrzi^^ffa&S 


PRESIDENT  STILES. 


103 


become  chaplain  of  a  brigade  of  troops,  who  made  part  of  the  force  of  General  Gates. 
The  students  were  dispersed  in  several  different  towns. 

But  this  was  by  no  means  all.  There  were  difficulties  which  had  for  some  time 
made  themselves  felt  which  were  even  more  discouraging,  because  likely  to  be  more 
permanent.  The  fact  could  not  be  disguised  that  the  college  was  suffering  from  the 
effects  of  the  controversies  which  had  their  rise  during  the  administration  of  President 
Clap.  A  large  class  of  influential  citizens  were  alienated  from  the  college  on  account 
of  the  religious  test  laws  which  had  been  enacted  in  1753.  Then,  the  complete  success 
of  President  Clap  in  asserting  the  independence  of  the  institution  from  all  interference 
and  supervision  by  the  legislature  had  aggravated  the  feeling  of  hostility  which  had 
begun  to  be  cherished.  The  charges  also  which  had  been  made  so  frequently  and  so 
persistently  that  the  government  of  the  college  abounded  with  abuses,  had  contributed 
still  further  to  make  the  institution  unpopular.  The  administration  of  President  Dag- 
gett had  done  little  to  allay  this  feeling.  All  the  difficulties  and  all  the  unfriendly 
feeling  which  existed  when  that  able  but  imperious  man  resigned  in  1 766  still  existed, 
and  to  meet  these  difficulties  there  was  need  now  of  a  presiding  officer  of  very  peculiar 
gifts,  and  of  very  peculiar  character. 

Fortunately,  the  corporation  were  able  to  unite  on  one  of  the  alumni  of  the  college 
in  whom  were  combined  all  those  qualities  which  were  required  in  the  emergency. 
They  made  choice  of  the  Rev.  Ezra  Stiles,  D.D.,  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  to  be 
President. 

Dr.  Stiles  was  well  known  in  Connecticut.  He  was  by  birth  a  New  Haven  man. 
His  father,  a  minister  of  North  Haven,  a  part  of  the  original  town  of  New  Haven,  had 
been  recognized  through  a  long  life  as  one  of  the  prominent  clergymen  of  the  colony. 
He  himself  had  graduated  at  the  college  in  the  class  of  1 746,  at  the  age  of  nineteen. 
In  1749  he  had  become  tutor,  and  had  filled  that  office  for  over  six  years,  with  great 
credit  to  himself.  During  that  period,  on  several  important  occasions  he  had  been 
selected  to  represent  the  college  as  its  spokesman;  as  in  1755,  when  on  the  occasion 
of  a  visit  to  New  Haven  by  Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin,  he  had  pronounced  a  Latin  oration 
in  the  College  Hall,  in  compliment  to  him.  The  same  year  he  was  called  to  be  pastor 
of  a  Congregational  church  in  Newport,  where  he  had  acquired  the  reputation  of  being 
the  most  learned  man  in  America.  During  the  opening  scenes  of  the  Revolution,  New- 
port became  the  theater  of  military  operations,  and  a  large  part  of  his  congregation  had 
in  consequence  left  the  town.  He  was  at  last  obliged  himself  to  leave,  and  had  been 
invited,  in  the  spring  of  1777,  to  preach  for  a  year  in  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire, 
during  the  dispersion  of  his  people. 

Dr.  Stiles  was  not  a  religious  or  an  ecclesiastical  partisan.  He  may  be  considered 
to  have  been  a  moderate  Calvinist,  and  he  was  attached  to  the  traditional  forms  of 
church  organization  which  had  been  common  in  New  England  from  the  first ;  but  he 
cherished  kindly  feelings  for  all  who  gave  evidence  of  Christian  character,  however 
much  they  might  differ  from  him  in  their  scheme  of  faith. 

In  a  letter  which  he  had  written  about  this  time,  he  had  said:  "There  is  so  much 
pure  Christianity  among  all  sects  of  Protestants,  that  I   cheerfully  embrace  all  in  my 


io4 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


charity.  There  is  so  much  defect  in  all  that  we  all  need  forbearance  and  mutual  con- 
descension. I  don't  intend  to  spend  my  days  in  the  fire  of  party  ;  at  the  most  1  shall 
resist  all  claims  and  endeavors  for  supremacy  or  precedency  of  any  sect ;  for  the  rest  I 
shall  promote  peace,  harmony,  and  benevolence.  I  honor  all  Protestant  churches  so 
far  as  they  are  reformed,  and  even  the  Church  of  England  as  a  sister,  by  no  means  a 
mother,  church.  But  I  conscientiously  give  the  preference,  in  my  own  choice,  to  the 
Congregational  churches  as  nearest  the  primitive  standard,  and  most  purified  from  the 
corruptions  of  the  Latin  church." 

Such  being  his  sentiments,  as  might  be  supposed  he  had  a  strong  aversion  to  the 
imposition  of  creeds.  In  a  discourse  on  "Christian  Union,"  preached  in  1760,  before 
the  Congregational  clergy  of  Rhode  Island,  he  had  complained  of  those  who  demanded 
that  "the  sacred  Scriptures  should  be  understood  according  to  senses  fitted  and 
defined  in  human  tests,  which  all  acknowledge  to  be  fallible;"  and,  referring  evidently 
to  the  position  taken  by  President  Clap,  he  had  said:  "  I  am  satisfied  we  shall  err  less 
if  we  make  the  Scriptures  the  only  rule  of  faith,  than  if  we  depart  from  this  and  substi- 
tute another ;  or,  as  many  do  who  say  they  believe  the  Scriptures  the  only  rule,  and 
yet,  in  all  their  judgments  on  Scripture,  measure  that  only  rule  by  another  rule." 

The  good  policy  of  electing  a  man  of  such  views  to  the  presidency  appeared  at  once 
in  the  general  satisfaction  manifested  not  only  by  those  who  had  been  known  as  the 
friends  of  the  college,  but  also  by  many  of  those  who  had  been  the  bitter  opponents  of 
President  Clap.  Dr.  Stiles,  however,  did  not  accept  the  office  tendered  to  him  till 
after  he  had  visited  New  Haven,  and  had  a  conference  with  the  corporation.  In  this 
interview,  he  obtained  from  them  a  promise  that  they  would  repeal  the  act  of  1753, 
requiring  a  subscription  to  a  religious  test ;  and  a  promise,  also,  that  they  would  assist 
in  an  effort  to  provide,  as  soon  as  possible,  permanent  professors  for  the  college.  At 
the  same  time  he  visited  several  of  the  prominent  civilians  of  the  town,  and  satisfied 
himself  that,  if  he  came  to  New  Haven,  he  might  obtain  their  co-operation  and 
support.* 

Accordingly,  after  much  deliberation,  on  the  19th  of  March,  1778,  he  resigned  the 
pastoral  charge  of  his  church  and  congregation  in  Newport,  which  he  had  not  before 
given  up,  and  his  engagement  in  Portsmouth  having  terminated,  he  came  to  New 
Haven  in  June,  and  entered  at  once  on  the  duties  of  his  office.  His  formal  inaugura- 
tion as  President  did  not  take  place  till  July  8th. 

*  The  arrangement  which  was  made  for  the  salary  of  the  President  appears  from  the  following  extract  taken  from  the 
College  Records  of  the  time  : 

"  November  4,  1777. — The  corporation  had  then  a  free  conference  with  Dr.  Stiles  on  the  subject  of  his  appointment  ;  and, 
provided  he  shall  accept  the  presidency  of  the  college,  voted  him  an  annual  salary  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds  ;  one 
quarter  to  be  paid  in  wheat  at  four  shillings  and  sixpence  per  bushel,  one  quarter  in  corn  at  two  shillings  and  threepence  per 
bushel,  one  quarter  in  pork  at  twenty-four  shillings  per  hundred  weight,  and  the  other  quarter  in  beef  at  eighteen  shillings 
per  hundred  weight,  or  an  equivalent  in  money,  to  be  determined  annually  by  the  President  and  Fellows  according  to  the  cur- 
rent prices  in  New  Haven,  viz.,  of  pork  and  beef  in  December,  and  of  wheat  and  Indian  corn  in  January,  together  with  the  use 
of  the  President's  house  and  lot,  which  are  to  be  kept  in  good  repair  by  the  corporation,  and  of  ten  acres  of  land  in  Yorkshire 
quarter,  with  the  other  usual  perquisites  ;  and  that  said  salary  shall  commence  with  the  day  he  shall  enter  on  office,  and  continue 
during  his  being  in  office.  The  corporation  will  also  be  at  the  expense  of  removing  his  family  to  New  Haven  ;  and  provided 
the  above  encouragement  prove  insufficient,  they  mean  in  all  future  time  to  act  a  generous  part  towards  him,  and  will  endeavor 
that  he  be  supported  according  to  their  ability  in  a  manner  suitable  to  the  dignity  of  his  station." 


PRESIDENT  STILES.  lo^ 

On  that  occasion,  the  ceremonies  took  place  in  the  college  chapel.  The  Professor 
of  Divinity  opened  the  exercises  with  prayer  ;  the  Senior  Fellow,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Williams 
of  East  Hartford,  in  a  Latin  address,  committed  to  the  President  the  government  and 
instruction  of  the  college,  who  in  reply  addressed  the  corporation,  the  professors  and 
tutors,  the  students,  and  the  audience  at  large.  Mr.  Samuel  Whittelsey  Dana,  a  senior 
bachelor,  then  pronounced  a  congratulatory  oration  in  Latin,  after  which  the  President 
delivered  his  inaugural  discourse  in  the  same  language.  His  subject  was  the  "  Ency- 
clopedia of  Literature."  At  the  same  time  that  he  was  thus  inducted  into  his  office, 
he  was  likewise  made  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History.  After  these  exercises,  the 
Fellows  dined  with  him  in  the  College  Hall.* 

The  number  of  undergraduates  at  this  time  was  one  hundred  and  thirty-two,  fifteen 
of  whom  were  absent.  The  officers  of  instruction,  besides  the  President,  were  the 
Professor  of  Divinity,  the  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy,  and  three 
tutors. 

Dr.  Stiles,  on  coming  to  New  Haven,  at  once  set  himself  to  work  with  all  his  char- 
acteristic enthusiasm  to  correct  the  evils  in  the  college,  which  were  the  result  of  the 
unfortunate  state  of  the  country.  The  students  had  had  many  interruptions  in  their 
studies.  He  commenced  at  once  the  regular  instruction  of  the  senior  class  himself; 
occasionally  heard  the  recitations  of  the  other  classes  ;  delivered  several  public  lectures 
in  the  chapel  on  scientific  and  literary  subjects,  and  by  his  zeal  and  the  dignity  of  his 
manner  soon  restored  order  among  the  students  and  gained  their  respect  and  con- 
fidence. 

But  the  college  did  not  escape  fresh  interruptions.  Just  a  year  after  the  inaugura- 
tion of  President  Stiles,  New  Haven  was  visited  by  a  detachment  of  British  troops,  who 
for  nearly  a  day  maintained  possession  of  the  town. 

During  the  night  which  preceded  Monday,  July  5,  1779,  a  fleet  of  about  forty-eight 
vessels,  with  three  thousand  men  on  board,  under  Major-General  Tryon,  anchored  off 
Savin  Rock,  at  West  Haven.  The  news  was  carried  at  once  to  New  Haven,  and  in 
the  early  light  of  the  morning  President  Stiles,  from  the  tower  of  the  chapel,  was  able 
with  a  spy-glass  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  and  communicate  the  intelli- 
gence to  the  town.  There  was  no  sufficient  military  force  in  New  Haven  to  withstand 
so  large  a  number  of  soldiers,  but  Captain  James  Hillhouse — afterwards  for  fifty  years 
the  Treasurer  of  the  college — who  then  commanded  the  Governor's  Foot  Guards, 
assembled  his  company,  and,  with  volunteers  from  the  students,  went  to  meet  them. 
Aaron  Burr — afterwards  Vice-President  of  the  United  States — who  was  then  on  a  visit 
to  his  relatives  in  New  Haven,  led  another  company  of  militiamen  and  volunteers  from 
among  the  students.  One  of  the  most  interesting  incidents  of  the  day  was  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Professor  of  Divinity  on  the  scene.     As  Captain   Hillhouse  with  his  com- 

*  It  is  interesting  to  notice  that,  on  this  occasion,  instead  of  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  king,  the  oath,  which  was  adminis- 
tered to  him  by  the  Hon.  Colonel  Hamlin,  one  of  the  Council,  was  of  fidelity  to  the  State  of  Connecticut.  It  was  in  the  follow- 
ing words : 

"  You,  Ezra  Stiles,  do   swear  by  the   name  of  the   ever-living  God,  that  you  will  be  true  and  faithful  to  the  State  of  Con- 
necticut, as  a  free  and  independent  State,  and  in  all   things  do   your  duty  as   a  good  and  faithful  subject  of  the  said  State,   in 
supporting  the  rights,  liberties,  and  privileges  of  the  same.     So  help  you  God." 
VOL.  I. — 14 


io6  YALE   COLLEGE. 

mand  were  crossing  "West-bridge,"  they  were  joined  by  Dr.  Daggett  mounted  on  his 
black  horse  and  armed  with  a  fowling-piece,  ready  for  action.  He  was  assigned  a 
position  on  the  hill  which  overlooks  the  road  by  which  the  troops  were  expected  to 
pass.  As  the  enemy  advanced,  he  was  directed  to  retire  to  the  north,  and,  as  he 
"turned  down  the  hill  to  gain  a  little  covert  of  bushes,"  he  was  fired  upon  by  the 
advanced  guard  of  the  British,  at  a  distance  of  a  "little  more  than  twenty  rods."  Gain- 
ing the  covert  at  which  he  had  aimed,  he  imprudently  returned  the  fire.  The  rage  of 
the  soldiers,  who  were  just  at  hand,  was  such  that  his  excuse  for  firing,  that  it  was  in 
"the  exercise  of  war,"  had,  as  might  be  expected,  no  effect,  and  his  petitions  for 
quarter,  although  they  availed  to  save  his  life,  did  not  protect  him  from  brutal  indigni- 
ties and  injuries.  He  was  disarmed  and  dragged  to  the  head  of  the  column,  and 
compelled,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  to  walk  there  in  advance  of  the  troops  during 
all  their  long  march  to  the  town.  In  consequence  of  the  destruction  of  West-bridge 
they  were  obliged  to  follow  the  river  two  miles  to  the  next  bridge  above,  and  the 
day  being  an  unusually  hot  one  he  became  exceedingly  exhausted,  and,  in  fact,  never 
entirely  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  fatigue  and  the  wounds  he  received.  He 
died  the  next  year.* 

The  British  troops  entered  the  town  about  noon,  and  held  possession  till  some  time 
after  midnight,  when,  finding  that  the  whole  country  was  alarmed  and  that  they  were 
in  danger  of  being  surrounded  by  the  militia,  who  were  beginning  to  assemble  from 
every  quarter,  they  hastily  embarked  in  boats  which  were  sent  for  their  use  from  the 
fleet.  It  is  said  that  at  the  time  of  this  invasion  there  was  a  large  number  of  sympa- 
thizers with  the  British  cause  among  the  more  wealthy  families  of  New  Haven,  but 
such  was  the  cruelty  displayed  by  the  soldiers,  and  such  the  atrocity  of  their  conduct, 
that  when  they  left  there  was  not  a  friend  of  the  king  to  be  found  in  the  town.  The 
tradition  is  that  the  college  buildings  were  saved  from  being  burned  on  the  intercession 
of  a  Tory  officer,  who  was  a  graduate  of  the  institution.  One  of  the  most  serious  losses 
to  the  college  was  the  papers  of  the  late  President  Clap,  which  were  carried  off  from 
the  dwelling-house  of  his  daughter,  Madam  Wooster. 

Amid  all  the  disturbances  and  distractions  of  the  great  civil  war,  which  now  went  on 
for  years,  and  completely  absorbed  the  attention  and  interest  of  all,  it  could  not  be 
expected  that  the  college  would  make  much  advance,  even  under  so  able  a  President 
as  it  now  had  the  good  fortune  to  possess.  The  principal  events  which  need  to  be 
mentioned  are  the  death  of  Dr.  Daggett  in  1 780,  the  year  after  the  invasion,  from  the 
effects  of  the  abuse  which  he  then  received;  and  the  resignation,  in  1781,  of  the  Pro- 
fessor of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy,  Rev.  Nehemiah  Strong,  who  had 
become  very  unpopular  on  account  of  his  Tory  sentiments.  The  immediate  cause  of 
his  resignation,  however,  was  the  low  state  of  the  college  funds,  which  made  it  difficult 
or  impossible  for  the  corporation  to  pay  him  his  full  salary.  The  same  year,  at  the 
request  of  the  students,  for  the  first  time  since  1776,  there  was  a  public  Commence- 
ment.     On  this  occasion   President  Stiles  introduced  the  exercises  of  the  morning  by 


*  This   account  of  Dr.  Daggett's  exploit  is  drawn  from  his  own  affidavit,  and  differs  in  some  important  particulars  from 
some  other  narratives  of  the  same  transaction. 


PRESIDENT  STILES.  107 

an  oration  in  Hebrew,  on  Oriental  Literature ;  and  those  of  the  afternoon  by  a  Latin 
oration.  In  1780,  November  13,  a  chapter  of  the  society  known  as  the  "Phi  Beta 
Kappa,"  which  had  been  established  in  William  and  Mary  College,  in  Virginia,  three 
years  before,  was  organized  among  the  students  as  the  "Alpha  of  Connecticut."  The 
original  object  of  this  fraternity  was  the  promotion  of  literature  and  friendly  intercourse 
among  scholars.  The  society  receives  its  name  from  the  initial  letters  of  its  motto, 
<Pi\o6oq)ia,  Biov  Kvfiepvr/T>]S,  "Philosophy,  including  therein  religion  as  well  as  ethics,  is 
worthy  of  cultivation  as  the  guide  of  life." 

Professor  Strong  having  resigned  the  chair  of  Natural  Philosophy  and  Mathematics, 
President  Stiles  gave  still  further  evidence  of  his  varied  learning  by  commencing,  in 
1782,  to  deliver  lectures,  in  the  chapel,  on  subjects  pertaining  to  those  sciences.  These 
he  continued  for  some  years,  till  the  chair  was  again  filled. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  a  proposition  was  made  by  the  Hon.  Silas  Deane,  of  the 
class  of  1758,  who  had  been  sent  to  Prance  by  Congress  in  1776  as  a  political  agent, 
that  instruction  in  the  French  language  should  be  provided  in  the  college.  In  a  letter 
to  President  Stiles,  on  his  return  to  this  country,  after  mentioning  the  neglect  of  the 
study  of  the  modern  languages  at  places  of  public  instruction,  and  their  importance, 
particularly  to  men  doing  public  business  like  himself,  Mr.  Deane  added:  "I  therefore 
take  the  liberty  to  propose — should  it  be  agreeable  to  you  and  the  reverend  corpora- 
tion to  patronize  the  design — soliciting  assistance  from  some  of  my  noble  and  opulent 
friends  in  France,  to  establish  a  Professor  of  the  French  language  in  your  college,  and 
to  make  a  collection  of  the  writings  of  their  most  celebrated  authors  for  your  library. 
I  have  repeatedly  mentioned  the  proposal  in  general  to  many  of  them  in  Paris,  and 
have  no  doubt  it  may  be  carried  into  execution."  This  plan  was  much  talked  of,  and 
received  the  approbation  of  President  Stiles,  but  it  was  never  carried  into  execution. 

In  1782,  through  the  exertion  of  President  Stiles,  a  brick  building  was  erected,  sixty 
feet  in  length  and  thirty  in  breadth,  for  the  College  Commons,  containing  a  dining 
hall  and  a  kitchen.  Its  cost  was  ^558  12s.  6rf.  This  building  is  now  used  as  a 
chemical  laboratory  and  lecture  room. 

The  same  year,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Wales,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Milford,  Connecticut, 
was  chosen  as  the  successor  of  Dr.  Daggett,  and  was  installed  June  1 2,  as  Professor 
of  Divinity  ;  and  at  the  same  time  the  pastoral  care  and  charge  of  the  college  church 
was  committed  to  him. 

On  the  3d  of  September,  1783,  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  which  had  lasted  eight 
years,  came  to  a  close,  by  the  acknowledgment,  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  of  the 
independence  of  the  revolted  colonies.  At  this  time  the  number  of  students,  notwith- 
standing all  the  disturbing  influences  to  which  the  college  had  been  exposed,  had 
increased  to  upwards  of  two  hundred.  This  increase,  however,  was  in  part  owing  to 
the  fact  that  many  young  men  had  undoubtedly  been  sent  to  college  that  they  might 
be  kept  out  of  the  army.  Professor  Kingsley  says  "  this  was  a  subject  of  some  com- 
plaint at  the  time."  There  is  no  reason,  however,  to  believe  that  the  Revolutionary 
army  was  ever  numerically  diminished  by  this  cause.  There  were  students  who  left 
college  to  share  in  the  duties  and  in   the  dangers  of  the   camp  ;   and  many  graduates, 


Io8  YALE  COLLEGE. 

immediately  on  receiving  their  degrees,  obtained  commissions ;  and  with  the  advantage 
of  their  superior  intelligence,  proved  some  of  the  best  officers  in  the  army.  Con- 
spicuous among  them,  besides  Ebenezer  Huntington,  who  has  already  been  mentioned, 
were  David  Humphreys,  Nathan  Hale,  and  Benjamin  Talmadge. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  dawn  of  peace,  the  difficulties  under  which  the  institution 
labored  were  by  no  means  at  an  end.  There  was  still  a  great  and  serious  obstacle  to 
its  growth  and  prosperity.  This  was  its  continued  unpopularity  with  a  large  class  of 
the  leading  men  in  the  State.  The  giving  up  of  the  religious  test  laws  at  the  time 
that  Dr.  Stiles  had  become  President  had  allayed  the  hostility  and  revived  the  attach- 
ment of  some  of  those  who  had  been  disaffected  ;  but  still  it  was  true  that  many  others 
continued  to  regard  the  college  with  suspicion  and  dislike.  The  cause  of  this  dislike 
is  to  be  traced  to  another  of  the  unhappy  quarrels  which  made  the  times  of  President 
Clap  so  memorable.  It  has  already  been  explained  how  that  which  had  been  in  the 
beginning  a  personal  controversy  between  him  and  those  who  objected  to  the  course 
he  pursued  in  order  to  maintain  the  orthodoxy  of  the  college,  had  come  to  be  a  feeling 
of  bitter  hostility  to  the  institution  over  which  he  presided.  His  enemies  sought  to 
wrest  its  management  from  his  hands  by  means  of  a  committee  of  visitation,  which  they 
asserted  the  legislature  possessed  the  power  to  appoint.  If  they  had  succeeded,  the 
college  would  have  been  brought  into  complete  subjection  to  the  legislature,  and  would 
have  been  liable  to  be  controlled  henceforth  according  to  the  varying  will  of  the  party 
which  happened  any  year  to  be  in  the  majority.  The  vigorous  way  in  which  President 
Clap  opposed  this  attempt  has  been  described,  and  the  complete  victory  which  he 
gained  over  those  who  attacked  him.  But  his  success  sowed  the  seeds  of  fresh  dis- 
content and  jealousy.  These  had  now  ripened,  and  as  the  result  there  was  everywhere 
a  widespread  feeling  of  hostility  to  the  college.  Reports  were  in  circulation  that  its 
affairs  were  poorly  managed.  Complaints  were  made  that  it  was  controlled  by  a 
board  composed  only  of  clergymen,  and  that  the  course  of  instruction  was  arranged,  in 
the  spirit  of  bigotry,  with  special  reference  to  the  education  of  those  who  were  to 
become  clergymen.  So  strong  was  the  opposition  to  the  college,  that  it  was  even 
proposed  to  establish  a  rival  institution. 

President  Stiles,  on  coming  to  New  Haven,  had  at  once  set  himself  to  work  to  allay 
this  feeling  of  hostility.  The  college  was  in  great  need  of  additional  funds,  and  as  long 
as  there  was  this  want  of  confidence  in  its  officers  among  the  leading  men  in  the  State 
and  in  the  legislature,  it  was  idle  to  expect  any  assistance  from  the  public  treasury. 
He  had  accordingly  various  conferences  with  individuals,  and  with  committees  of  the 
legislature,  in  which  he  sought  to  allay  their  prejudices  and  excite  their  interest  in  the 
college.  He  even  went  so  far,  at  a  very  early  period,  as  to  propose  an  arrangement 
by  which  a  body  of  civilians  should  be  admitted  into  the  corporation  who  should  share 
with  the  clerical  members  in  the  management  of  its  concerns.  But  for  years  he  was 
entirely  without  success.  All  petitions  for  aid  were  regularly  refused  by  the  legisla- 
ture, in  whose  debates  it  was  openly  asserted  that  the  college  was  undeserving  of 
public  assistance.  Meanwhile  the  old  claims  were  repeated  that  the  legislature  had 
the  power  to  control  the  college  and  mould   it  as  it  pleased.       In  May,    1784,    four 


PRESIDENT  STILES.  l0g 

different  petitions  were  presented  to  the  legislature,  the  general  object  of  which  was  to 
procure  some  legislative  interference  to  alter  the  college  charter,  or  to  establish  a  rival 
college  under  State  patronage. 

But  at  last  President  Stiles,  by  his  address  and  by  means  of  the  great  personal 
respect  which  his  character  had  inspired,  succeeded  in  gaining  the  assistance  of  some 
of  the  leading  men  in  the  State.  Through  their  influence  a  committee  was  appointed 
by  the  legislature  in  October,  1791,  to  confer  with  the  corporation  on  the  condition  of 
the  college.  This  committee  spent  several  days  in  conducting  their  investigation,  and 
in  May,  1792,  made  a  favorable  report.  They  said :  "We  found  the  corporation  dis- 
posed to  communicate,  without  reserve,  every  circumstance  respecting  the  care  and 
management  of  the  institution  under  their  government."  They  said,  also:  "The  liter- 
ary exercises  of  the  respective  classes  have  of  late  years  undergone  considerable  alter- 
ation, so  as  the  better  to  accommodate  the  education  of  the  undergraduates  to  the 
present  state  of  literature."  "We  further  find,"  they  said,  "that  the  treasury  is  in  a 
much  better  condition  than  we  apprehended.  In  justice  to  the  corporation  we  are 
bound  to  observe  that  their  finances  have  been  managed  with  great  dexterity,  pru- 
dence, and  economy."  The  committee  stated,  also,  that  there  was  pressing  need  of  a 
new  building,  to  accommodate  the  students ;  of  an  enlargement  of  the  library ;  and 
a  provision  for  the  Professorship  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy  ;  and  an 
increase,  also,  in  the  salaries  of  the  tutors. 

In  connection  with  this  report  a  plan  which  had  been  prepared  by  the  Treasurer  of 
the  college,  Hon.  James  Hillhouse,  was  submitted  to  the  legislature,  which,  being 
warmly  supported  by  some  of  the  friends  of  the  college,  was  at  once  adopted.  Accord- 
ing to  this  plan  the  balances  of  certain  taxes  not  yet  collected,  which  were  not  needed 
for  the  original  object  for  which  they  were  imposed,  were  to  be  paid  into  the  hands  of 
commissioners,  and  applied,  on  certain  conditions,  to  the  improvement  of  the  college ; 
and  the  college,  in  compensation  for  what  was  thus  done  for  it  by  the  State,  was  to 
receive  into  its  corporation  the  Governor,  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  six  senior  assist- 
ants in  the  Council  of  the  State,  for  the  time  being,  who  were  to  constitute,  with  the 
present  President  and  Fellows  and  their  successors,  one  corporation. 

It  was  in  this  way  that  President  Stiles  succeeded  at  last  in  bringing  to  an  end  the 
long  estrangement  which  had  existed  between  the  college  and  the  legislature. 

One  of  the  immediate  results  of  this  action  was  a  very  considerable  addition  to  the 
funds  of  the  college,  which  had  now  become  absolutely  essential  if  the  college  was  to 
continue  to  grow.  The  plan  by  which  these  funds  were  obtained,  without  making  the 
imposition  of  a  direct  tax  necessary,  was  originated  and  carried  through  the  legislature 
by  Mr.  Hillhouse.  Professor  Kingsley  says:  "Without  him  nothing  would  have  been 
or  could  have  been  done." 

A  part  of  these  funds  was  at  once  applied  to  the  support  of  a  Professor  of  Mathe- 
matics and  Natural  Philosophy.  This  chair  had  been  vacant  since  the  resignation  of 
Professor  Strong,  and  was  now  filled  by  the  election  of  Mr.  Josiah  Meigs,  of  the  class 
of  1778.  He  read  his  first  lecture  in  the  college  chapel  November  20,  1792,  and  was 
formally  inducted  into  office  on  the  4th  of  December  following.     On  this  occasion  the 


i  10  VALE  COLLEGE. 

President  publicly  delivered  to  him  the  keys  of  the  philosophical  department,  and  Mr. 
Meigs  pronounced  a  Latin  inaugural  oration.  He  continued  in  his  professorship,  by 
an  annual  election,  till  the  fall  of  the  year  1800,  when  he  was  invited  to  the  presidency 
of  the  college  at  Athens,  Georgia,  which  had  just  been  established. 

Another  part  of  the  funds  received  from  the  State  was  appropriated  to  the  erection 
of  a  new  dormitory  for  the  students.  The  corner-stone  of  this  building  was  laid 
with  suitable  ceremonies  by  the  President,  in  April,  1793.  It  bears  the  following 
inscription : 

EZRA    STILES 

COLL.    YAL.     PR.ESES 

PRIMVM    LAPIDEM    POSVIT 

ACAD.     COND.     93 

APR.    15.   1793. 

This  building  is  of  brick,  is  one  hundred  and  four  feet  long,  thirty-six  feet  wide,  and 
four  stories  high,  and  was  completed  on  the  17th  of  July,  1794.  In  commemoration  of 
the  union,  now  completed,  of  civilians  with  the  old  Board  of  fellows,  it  received  the 
name,  at  the  time,  of  "  Union  Hall." 

But  it  was  not  permitted  to  President  Stiles  to  carry  out  further  the  large  views  for 
the  development  of  the  college  which  he  had  proposed  to  himself  when  he  accepted 
the  presidency.  In  less  than  a  year  from  the  completion  of  the  dormitory  which  is  now 
called  South  College,  he  was  seized  with  a  malignant  fever,  and  died,  after  an  illness  of 
only  four  days,  on  the  12th  of  May,  1795,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight. 

The  college  during  his  administration  had  been  on  the  whole  very  prosperous.* 
The  number  of  its  students  had  increased.  New  buildings  had  been  erected.  The 
philosophical  apparatus,  by  means  of  a  donation  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lockwood,  in  1 789, 
had  received  important  additions.  In  1790,  as  "an  encouragement  to  the  study  of  the 
English  language,"  Noah  Webster,  Esq.,  of  the  class  of  1778,  had  made  a  foundation 
for  an  annual  premium  to  be  given  to  the  author  of  the  composition  which  should  be 
judged  best  by  the  President,  professors,  and  tutors  of  the  college.  But,  it  is  to  be 
remembered  that,  during  this  whole  period,  President  Stiles  had  been  obliged  to  con- 
tend not  only  with  the  feeling  of  hostility  to  the  college  which  has  been  described,  but 
also  with  the  apathy  of  the  friends  of  the  institution,  which  was  the  result  of  the  unset- 
tled condition  of  the  country.  Even  after  the  return  of  peace  there  was,  for  a  long 
time,  a  feeling  of  anxiety  about  the  future  which  kept  the  business  of  the  country  in 
a  depressed  condition.  Then,  for  years,  the  public  attention  was  so  absorbed  with 
the  grave  questions  which  were  connected  with  the  formation  of  the  constitution  and 
the  establishment  of  the  present  government,  that  he  never  had  the  encouragement 
or  the  means  to  enable  him  to  carry  out  his  views  for  the  better  organization  of  the 
college  by  the  establishment  of  permanent  professorships. 

*  The  first  exact  census  of  New  Haven  is  believed  to  have  been  taken  in  17S7,  when  the  population  was  found  to  be  three 
thousand  five  hundred  and  forty,  including  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  students  of  the  college.  The  number  of  dwelling 
houses  was  four  hundred  and  sixty-six. 


PRESIDENT  STILES.  Hi 

His  special  claim  on  the  gratitude  of  the  alumni,  is  his  success  in  removing  what  had 
become  the  great  and  serious  obstacle  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  institution, 
its  unpopularity.  He  brought  the  college  back  into  the  line  of  its  traditions  and  to  its 
historic  place  in  harmony  with  all  classes  of  the  people  of  the  State,  and  with  the 
legislature. 

It  ought  also  to  be  stated,  even  in  so  brief  a  sketch  as  this,  that  the  character  of 
President  Stiles  as  a  scholar  gave  the  college  reputation  and  dignity  at  home  and 
abroad.  Professor  Kingsley  says:  "It  would  be  difficult  to  mention  any  subject  of 
moment  in  which  he  did  not,  as  occasion  occurred,  take  an  active  interest.  He  was 
familiar  with  every  department  of  learning.  His  literary  curiosity  was  never  satisfied, 
and  his  zeal  in  acquiring  and  communicating  knowledge  continued  unabated  to  the 
last.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  knowledge  of  history,  particularly  the  history  of  the 
church.  Few  persons  probably  in  the  United  States  have  acquired  as  great  famili- 
arity with  the  Latin  language.  He  wrote  and  spoke  this  language  with  great  ease, 
though  he  was  never  very  attentive  to  minute  accuracy,  and  violations  of  idiom  may 
be  found  in  his  Latin  discourses."  His  acquaintance,  also,  with  the  Oriental  languages, 
and  his  correspondence  with  learned  men  in  his  own  country  and  in  distant  quarters  of 
the  globe,  was  something  very  remarkable  for  the  time  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  an 
ardent  patriot  during  the  whole  progress  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  His  zeal  for 
liberty  led  him  to  sympathize  warmly  with  the  first  acts  of  the  leaders  of  the  French 
Revolution  in  1 789,  and  for  a  time  he  was  jubilant  with  anticipations  of  the  most  bene- 
ficial results  to  mankind.  He  was  through  life  full  of  interest  in  contemporary  history, 
and  the  voluminous  journals  in  which  he  wrote  extended  accounts  of  current  events, 
and  the  papers  of  other  kinds  which  he  left  to  the  college,  have  been  a  treasure-house 
for  subsequent  historians  of  the  period  in  which  he  lived,  from  which  they  have 
obtained  the  most  valuable  material.  He  was,  withal,  ardently  attached  to  the  college. 
He  was  a  true  college  man,  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  place,  and 
disposed  to  maintain  all  its  traditions.  No  officer  of  the  institution  has  ever  labored 
with  more  zeal  for  its  prosperity.  He  was  also  a  man  of  great  natural  dignity,  and  so 
impressed  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  with  his  superior  ability  and  worth  that, 
at  his  funeral,  when  his  remains  lay  in  state  in  the  college  chapel,  it  was  a  matter  of 
universal  surprise,  as  in  the  case  of  Louis  XIV.,  that  in  physical  stature  he  was  below 
the  ordinary  size. 


MONUMENT    OF    PRESIDENT    STILliS.       GROVE-STREET   CEMETERY. 


LYCEUM   AND    BERKELEY    HALL   (NORTH   MIDDLE). 

CHAPTER     IX. 

REV.   TIMOTHY  DW1GHT,   D.D.,  PRESIDENT,  A.D.   1795-1817. 

General  Expectation  that  Rev.  Timothy  Dwight,  D. D.,  would  succeed  Dr.  Stiles  as  President. — 
No  one  else  thought  of  by  the  Corporation. — Dr.  Dwight  inaugurated,  September  8,  1795. — The 
varied  Duties  which  he  at  once  assumed. — A  fortunate  Moment  when  he  came  to  the  Presidency. — 
Plans  of  President  Dwight  for  the  Improvement  of  the  College. — Embarrassed  by  want  of  Funds. — 
His  Efforts  to  procure  an  additional  Grant  from  the  Legislature. — He  selects  Three  of  the 
recent  Graduates  to  assist  him  as  Permanent  Professors. — Jeremiah  Day. — Benjamin  Silliman. — 
James  L.  Kingsley. — Prosperity  of  the  College. — Plans  of  Dr.  Dwight  for  its  material  Development. — 
The  whole  Front  of  the  College  Square  purchased. — Berkeley  Hall  (North  Middle)  erected. — Con- 
necticut Lyceum. — A  House  built  for  the  President. — Additions  to  the  Library,  and  to  the  Philo- 
sophical and  Chemical  Apparatus.— A  Collection  of  Minerals  purchased. — The  Gibbs  Cabinet. — The 
Laws  revised. — Old  Customs,  the  Relics  of  a  barbarous  Age,  abolished. — Efforts  for  the  religious 
Welfare  of  the  Students.  —  Riotous  Spirit  developed  among  the  Students. — Affrays  between  "Town 
and  Gown." — The  Bully  Club. — President  Dwight's  Plans  for  the  Establishment  of  Professional 
Schools. — A   Theological  School. — A   Medical   School. — Instruction    in    Law.- — Illness. — Death. 


For  some  years  before  the  death  of  Dr.  Stiles,  the  thoughts  of  the  friends  of  the 
college  had  been  turned  with  unprecedented  unanimity  towards  the  Rev.  Timothy 
Dwight,  D.D.,  of  Greenfield  Hill,  as  the  person  most  worthy  to  succeed  him,  when  in 
the  natural  course  of  events  the  office  of  President  should  become  vacant. 

Dr.  Dwight  was  the  grandson  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  the  most  illustrious  graduate  of 
the  college.  He  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  institution,  and 
everything  connected  with  its  administration.  He  had  filled  the  office  of  tutor  with 
distinguished  honor  for  six  years,  from  1771  to  1777;  and  while  still  a  tutor,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  resignation  of  the  presidency  by  Dr.  Daggett,  he  had,  though  only 
twenty-five  years  old,  made  such  a  favorable  impression  upon  the  students,  that  they 
prepared  a  petition  that  he  might  be  chosen  President.  This  petition,  however,  was 
not  sent  to  the  corporation,  for  the  reason  that  he  interfered  himself  to  prevent  it. 

Dr.  Dwight  was  now  the  pastor  of  the  church  in  Greenfield  Hill  ;  in  which  town  he 
had  also  established  a  school  of  a  high  character,  which  had  been  in  successful  opera- 
tion under  his  immediate  charge  for  several  years. 

112 


PRESIDENT  D WIGHT.  ^    U3 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  corporation,  a  few  weeks  after  the  death  of  President 
Stiles,  he  was  at  once  elected  to  succeed  him.  No  one  else  was  even  thought  of  for  a 
moment.      His  inauguration  took  place  September  8,  1795. 

The  new  President,  on  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  at  once  assumed  an 
amount  of  labor  of  which  few  men  would  have  been  capable.  According  to  the  custom 
of  the  college,  besides  the  superintendence  of  its  general  interests,  he  took  upon  him- 
self the  sole  instruction  of  the  Senior  Class.  He  acted,  also,  as  Professor  of  English 
Literature  and  Oratory.  Then,  during  his  whole  presidency,  he  discharged  the  duties 
of  Professor  of  Divinity,  preaching  twice  each  Sunday  in  the  college  chapel ;  and,  in 
addition,  he  gave  regular  instruction  in  theology  to  graduate  students  who  remained 
in  New  Haven  for  the  purpose  of  professional  study.  The  success  which  attended  his 
efforts  in  all  these  departments  was  complete.  As  an  instructor,  he  displayed  a  power 
of  awakening  the  interest  of  all  who  came  under  his  teaching  which  has  rarely  been 
equaled.  As  a  preacher,  he  took  rank  among  the  first  pulpit  orators  of  the  country. 
A  great  variety  of  public  duties,  also,  unconnected  with  the  college,  were  intrusted  to 
him,  and  the  admirable  manner  in  which  he  discharged  them  spread  still  more  widely 
his  reputation  through  the  country,  and  gave  an  importance  and  a  character  to  the 
institution  over  which  he  presided  which  it  had  never  enjoyed  before. 

It  was  a  fortunate  moment  in  the  history  of  the  college  when  Dr.  Dwight  came  to 
the  presidency.  The  ill-will  which  had  been  felt  towards  it  by  so  many  persons  in  the 
State  ever  since  the  days  of  President  Clap,  had  in  a  measure  been  removed  by  the 
politic  course  pursued  by  President  Stiles.  It  had  just  received  a  considerable 
addition  to  its  funds ;  by  no  means  all  it  needed,  but  sufficient  to  keep  it  from  bank- 
ruptcy, and  to  revive  the  hopes  of  its  friends  that  it  might  yet  be  brought  into  that 
state  of  efficiency  which  the  interests  of  the  higher  education  demanded.  The  country, 
too,  was  just  beginning  to  recover  from  the  prostration  which  had  affected  all  business 
interests  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  which  continued  until  the  period  of  the 
administration  of  General  Washington. 

There  was  needed  at  the  head  of  the  institution  at  this  time  a  man  of  broad  views 
and  one  who  understood  the  character  of  the  new  era  which  was  just  beginning  to 
dawn.  The  college,  though  it  had  been  in  existence  nearly  a  century,  and  was  one  of 
the  most  considerable  institutions  of  learning  in  the  country,  was  still  in  reality  little 
more  than  a  collegiate  school.  Its  corps  of  instructors,  besides  the  President,  consisted 
now  only  of  a  single  professor  and  three  tutors.  The  curriculum  of  studies  through 
which  the  students  were  carried  was  exceedingly  limited.  The  instruction  in  the 
ancient  languages  was  very  meager  and  defective.  The  sciences,  except  mathematics, 
astronomy,  and  physics,  were  unknown.  The  number  of  students,  owing  to  the 
distracted  state  of  the  country,  had  fallen  off  so  that  there  were  only  little  more  than 
a  hundred  in  attendance.  The  buildings,  with  the  exception  of  the  new  dormitory  just 
finished,  were  in  a  very  dilapidated  condition,  and  the  funds,  notwithstanding  the  recent 
addition  made  to  them,  did  not  yet  yield  a  sufficient  sum  to  meet  the  general  expenses 
of  the  college ;  so  that  the  institution  was  still  dependent  in  great  measure  on  the  fees 
which  the  students  paid  for  tuition. 
VOL.  1.  — 15 


ii4 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


But  Dr.  Dwight  was  fully  abreast  with  the  age.  As  far  back  as  1776,  when  he  was 
a  tutor  in  the  college,  in  a  sermon  which  he  preached  to  the  class  which  graduated 
that  year,  he  gave  evidence  that  he  fully  understood  the  character  of  the  times.  If  he 
had  seen  all  the  results  which  we  behold  to-day  of  the  remarkable  growth  of  the 
country,  he  could  hardly  have  expressed  himself  more  appropriately.  He  said  then 
that  the  foundations  were  being  laid  of  a  great  nation,  which  was  destined  to  have  a 
commanding  influence  upon  the  affairs  of  the  world.  This  feeling  was  the  key  to  his 
policy  during  his  whole  life,  and  now,  being  advanced  to  the  head  of  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  important  educational  institutions  of  the  country,  he  embraced  the  idea  fully 
that  all  its  departments  of  instruction  must  be  so  expanded  as  to  enable  it  to  provide 
suitable  training  for  the  men  who  were  in  the  coming  generations  to  take  the  lead  in 
public  and  professional  life. 

Dr.  Dwight  continued  at  the  head  of  the  college  for  twenty-two  years,  and  through- 
out this  whole  period  was  successful  to  an  unprecedented  degree  in  advancing  its 
interests.  Limited  as  were  the  resources  which  he  had  at  command  when  he  came  to 
New  Haven,  he  early  conceived  the  idea,  and  began  intelligently  to  plan,  to  make  of 
the  institution  which  had  been  placed  under  his  care  a  true  university,  where  every 
branch  of  knowledge  should  be  taught  and  studied.  He  adopted  the  policy  which  Dr. 
Stiles  had  so  strenuously  insisted  upon  when  he  became  President,  that  the  college 
must  be  provided  with  a  corps  of  permanent  instructors.  But  he  added  a  new  and 
important  feature.  He  proposed,  instead  of  calling  men  to  be  Professors  who  had 
already  achieved  distinction  in  other  spheres  of  labor,  to  select  from  the  recent 
graduates  of  the  college  those  who  gave  promise  of  unusual  ability,  and  to  place  them 
in  the  different  chairs  of  instruction.  It  seemed  to  him  that,  in  the  existing  state  of  the 
country,  it  was  the  best  thing  that  could  be  done  for  the  cause  of  education  to  induce 
such  young  men,  before  they  had  entered  upon  the  practice  of  any  other  profession,  to 
direct  their  attention  early  to  the  business  of  instruction,  in  a  single  branch  of  knowl- 
edge, as  the  occupation  of  their  lives.  In  this  way  they  would  be  led  to  make  higher 
attainments  themselves,  and  to  render  more  valuable  service  to  the  institution  with 
which  the  interests  of  their  whole  career  would  be  from  the  first  identified.  The  course 
thus  adopted  was  one  of  the  secrets  of  the  great  success  of  Dr.  Dwight  as  President 
of  the  college  ;  and,  till  the  condition  of  things  in  the  country  was  very  much  changed, 
this  policy  was  followed  to  a  great  extent  in  the  administration  of  this  and  other  insti- 
tutions of  learning. 

But  this  policy  which  President  Dwight  proposed  to  himself  could  not  at  once  be 
carried  into  execution.  The  want  of  sufficient  funds  proved  for  a  time  an  obstacle  in 
his  way,  as  it  had  been  before  in  the  way  of  his  predecessor. 

His  first  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  college  were  therefore  necessarily  directed  to  the 
disagreeable  task  of  raising  more  funds.  The  grant  which  had  been  made  to  the 
college  by  the  legislature,  in  1792,  of  the  unpaid  balances  of  certain  taxes,  was  encum- 
bered with  the  condition  that  fifty  per  cent,  of  what  was  raised  should  be  subject  to  the 
future  disposal  of  the  legislature.  The  final  adjustment  of  the  matter  had  not  yet 
taken  place.     Accordingly,  at  the  May  session  of  the  legislature,  in  1796,  the  corpo- 


PRESIDENT  D  WIGHT.  I  i  5 

ration  petitioned  for  the  relinquishment  to  the  college  of  the  "fifty  per  cent."  Presi- 
dent Dwight  addressed  both  houses  of  the  General  Assembly  on  the  subject,  and,  as 
the  result,  an  act  was  finally  passed  by  which  the  petition  of  the  college  was  granted, 
provided  the  corporation  would  pay  into  the  State  treasury  a  certain  sum  amounting  to 
somewhat  over  thirteen  thousand  dollars. 

But  President  Dwight,  though  successful  in  his  application  to  the  legislature,  was 
not  yet  able  to  carry  out  his  plan,  as  the  greater  part  of  the  avails  of  the  grants  of 
both  1792  and  1796,  except  what  had  been  appropriated  to  the  erection  of  the  new 
college  building,  had  been  invested  in  deferred  stock  of  the  United  States,  and  did  not 
become  available  till  the  year  1800. 

He  did  not,  however,  relax  his  efforts.  In  1 798  preparatory  measures  were  taken 
for  the  establishment  of  a  Professorship  of  Chemistry  and  Natural  History.  The  same 
year,  as  there  was  a  small  fund  given  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Salter,  of  Mansfield,  Connecti- 
cut, for  the  encouragement  of  Oriental  literature,  Mr.  Ebenezer  Grant  Marsh  was 
appointed  instructor  in  Hebrew.  In  1799  President  Dwight  was  interested  in  estab- 
lishing the  "Connecticut  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences;"  a  society  which  still  exists 
in  a  flourishing  condition. 

At  last  the  funds  given  by  the  State  became  to  some  extent  available,  and  Dr. 
Dwight  was  able  to  begin  to  perfect  his  measures;  but  now  new  and  unavoidable 
delays  and  hindrances  intervened.  In  1801,  Professor  Meigs  resigned  the  chair  of 
Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy,  and,  in  1804,  Mr.  Marsh  died;  but,  in  a  few 
years,  President  Dwight  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  established  around  him,  as  his 
permanent  assistants  in  the  work  of  instruction,  three  of  the  recent  graduates  of  the 
college,  whom  he  had  selected  as  best  fitted  for  the  work  he  had  proposed  for  them. 
These  three  young  men,  who  were  for  more  than  half  a  century  associated  with  one 
another  in  the  service  of  the  college,  were  Jeremiah  Day,  Benjamin  Silliman,  and 
James  L.  Kingsley. 

Jeremiah  Day,  afterwards  so  honorably  known  as  the  successor  of  Dr.  Dwight  in  the 
presidency  of  the  college,  had  graduated  in  1795  in  the  first  class  on  whom  he  had 
conferred  degrees.  Mr.  Day  had  been  at  once  selected  by  the  new  President  to  take 
charge  of  the  large  and  important  school  at  Greenfield  Hill,  which  he  had  just  left  to 
enter  upon  his  wider  sphere  of  duty  in  New  Haven.  On  the  resignation  of  Professor 
Meigs  in  1801,  Mr.  Day  was  chosen  to  succeed  him  in  the  chair  of  Mathematics  and 
Natural  Philosophy  ;  but,  on  account  of  ill  health,  he  did  not  commence  the  work  of 
instruction  till  1803.  At  the  time  of  his  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  professorship, 
the  great  want  of  the  country,  in  the  department  of  the  pure  mathematics,  was  ade- 
quate text-books.  Accordingly,  Professor  Day  set  himself  to  work  to  supply  this  want ; 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  brought  out  a  series  of  elementary  mathematical 
works,  consisting  of  an  Algebra  ;  a  work  on  the  Mensuration  of  Superficies  and  Solids; 
another  on  Plane  Trigonometry ;  and  still  another  on  Navigation  and  Surveying.  These 
books  were  at  once  everywhere  received  with  eagerness.  There  were  very  few  of 
the  colleges  and  higher  educational  institutions  in  the  country  where  they  were  not 
speedily  introduced.      Even  at  the  end  of  a  period  of  fifty  years,  they  still  held  their 


i  ,  6  VALE  COLLEGE. 

place  with  little  diminution  of  their  popularity,  although  many  other  excellent  treatises 
had  been  published.  But  whatever  may  be  thought  of  these  text-books  now,  it  should 
not  be  forgotten  that,  at  the  time  they  were  prepared,  they  were  just  what  was  needed 
to  meet  the  demands  of  the  times  ;  and  it  may  be  safely  said  that  the  value  of  what 
their  author  did  by  means  of  them  for  the  college,  and  for  the  country  at  large,  while 
holding  the  office  of  Professor  from  1803  to  181 7,  the  time  when  he  succeeded  Dr. 
Dwight,  was  not  surpassed  by  anything  in  science  or  literature  which  he  did  subse- 
quently during  his  long  term  of  office  as  President  of  the  college.  So  discriminating 
and  judicious  a  scholar  as  Professor  James  Hadley,  as  late  as  1852,  claimed  for  the 
Algebra  distinguished  excellences  as  compared  with  other  more  recent  text-books. 
He  recognizes  the  fact  that  some  persons  hold  that  a  more  compact  and  abbreviated 
style  is  preferable  to  the  fullness  of  statement  which  characterizes  the  books  of  Dr. 
Day,  where  every  process  of  development  and  reasoning  is  worked  out  patiently  and 
distinctly  through  all  its  successive  steps.  But  Professor  Hadley  asserts  that  in  an 
elementary  text-book  on  mathematics,  what  the  pupil  needs  is  just  this  "  full  develop- 
ment." He  says  the  pupil  "  should  not  be  allowed  to  skim  lightly  and  sketchily 
over  his  work.  He  should  be  taught  to  notice  and  examine  every  point  which  is  really 
essential  to  the  conclusiveness  of  his  reasoning.  He  should  be  guarded  against  the 
common  habit  of  taking  for  granted  without  further  proof  that  which  appears  plausible 
or  probable  upon  its  face.  The  great  advantages  which  are  expected  from  the  ele- 
mentary study  of  mathematics  as  a  means  of  mental  discipline — the  clearness  of 
thought,  correctness  of  reasoning,  and  precision  of  statements,  which  are  supposed  to 
be  imparted  by  mathematical  study — are  liable  to  be  more  or  less  completely  sacrificed 
unless  the  student  is  trained  in  the  outset  of  his  course  to  thorough,  copious,  and  accu- 
rate development.  It  is,  therefore,  a  matter  of  no  small  importance  that  he  should 
have  a  model  of  this  quality  constantly  before  him  in  the  text-book  which  he  studies. 
And,  in  this  particular,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  author  of  the  Algebra  is  the 
Euclid  of  his  department." 

Benjamin  Silliman,  having  graduated  in  the  class  of  1796,  had  prepared  himself  for 
the  profession  of  the  law  when  he  was  induced  by  Dr.  Dwight,  in  1802,  to  give  up  its 
practice,  upon  which  he  was  just  about  to  enter,  that  he  might  take  the  chair  of 
Chemistry  and  Natural  History,  which  the  corporation  had  just  founded.  After  two 
years  spent  in  study,  he  gave  his  first  course  of  lectures  in  1804.  At  this  time  little 
was  known  in  the  country  of  either  of  the  sciences  which  he  was  expected  to  teach. 
There  were  no  text-books.  Chemistry  and  mineralogy  were  in  their  infancy.  Geol- 
ogy was  hardly  recognized  as  a  science.  The  college  scarcely  possessed  a  retort,  and 
there  was  no  one  connected  with  the  institution  who  could  give  him  even  the  names  of 
the  few  minerals  which  were  in  its  possession.  After  his  first  course  of  lectures  he 
visited  Europe,  and  resided  some  months  in  Edinburgh  and  in  London,  for  the  purpose 
of  availing  himself  of  the  best  instruction  which  could  be  obtained  in  his  department. 
It  thus  fell  to  him  to  introduce  the  students  who  came  under  his  teaching  to  a  field  of 
knowledge  which  was  before  entirely  unknown.  What  he  did  for  the  college  he  was 
afterwards  able  to  do  for  the  country  at  large  by  the  establishment  of  the  American 


PRESIDENT  D  WIGHT. 


117 


Journal  of  Science  and  Arts,  which  he  edited  during  all  his  life,  and  which  still 
maintains  its  high  reputation  in  all  scientific  matters.  The  enthusiasm  with  which 
Professor  Silliman  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office ;  the  attractive  manner  in 
which  he  was  able  to  present  the  wonderful  truths  of  those  sciences  which  every 
year  were  being  rapidly  developed  ;  the  unvarying  success  which  attended  the  brilliant 
experiments  with  which  he  illustrated  his  lectures ;  the  personal  magnetism  which  he 
exerted  over  all  who  came  within  the  sphere  of  his  influence,  reflected  honor  on  the 
college  and  testified  to  the  wisdom  of  Dr.  Dwight  in  securing  his  services  for  the 
institution.  By  his  labors,  continued  for  over  sixty  years  in  the  service  of  the  college, 
Benjamin  Silliman  will  always  be  remembered  as  the  pioneer  who,  by  his  enthusiastic 
devotion  to  the  interests  of  science,  and  by  his  earnest  and  admirable  methods  of 
presenting  its  truths,  did  more  than  any  one  else  in  his  day  to  awaken  for  it  a  general 
interest  throughout  the  whole  country. 

James  L.  Kingsley  graduated  in  the  class  of  1799.  In  1801  he  became  a  tutor.  In 
1805,  President  Dwight  "perceived  in  him,"  as  Dr.  Woolsey  says,  "rare  qualities  which 
the  college  needed,"  and  he  was  appointed  to  the  Professorship  of  Languages  which 
had  just  been  founded.  Professor  Thacher  says  that  Mr.  Kingsley  brought  to  the  office 
a  deep  interest  in  the  institution,  which  led  him  through  life  to  identify  himself  in  a 
remarkable  manner  with  all  its  interests.  "  He  brought  a  literary  taste,  a  love  of 
thorough,  substantial  learning,  united  with  a  habit  of  great  accuracy  and  exactness  in 
its  acquisition,  a  genuine  appetite  for  the  nutrimentnm  spiritus,  which  eminently  fitted 
him  for  an  academic  life.  He  brought  with  him  a  soul  quick  with  sensibility,  which  could 
not,  as  it  did  not,  fail  to  take  hold  of  the  interests  of  those  placed  under  his  charge  as 
pupils.  He  brought  with  him  great  humanity,  as  that  word  is  used  in  a  large  and  better 
sense.  He  brought  with  him  uncommon  mental  endowments."  His  proper  department 
was  literature;  and  "the  best  energies  of  his  mind  were  given  to  the  elegant  literature 
of  ancient  times."  Dr.  Woolsey  says,  also,  "  he  was  a  truly  academical  man  ;"  and  Pro- 
fessor Thacher  says,  "  he  was  master  in  nearly  every  department ;  so  that  there  was  no 
branch  of  learning  pursued  in  the  college,  except  perhaps  chemistry,  which  he  could 
not,  if  occasion  required,  have  taken  up  and  carried  on  with  credit."  The  new  Pro- 
fessor of  Languages,  according  to  Professor  Thacher,  "was  destined  to  accomplish  as 
great  a  work,  so  far  as  the  internal  literary  advancement  of  the  institution  is  concerned, 
as  has  been  accomplished  by  any  person  who  has  ever  been  connected  with  it.  He 
was  one  of  the  main  elements  of  strength  in  the  body  of  instruction.  His  learning 
united  with  his  ability  to  use  his  acquisitions  and  his  powers  with  effect,  made  him  a 
great  reliance,  and  general  resource,  so  to  speak,  of  the  institution."  "  He  had,  besides, 
a  just  idea  of  scholarship  ;  combining  accuracy  with  a  cultivated  taste  ;  "  while,  "  so  far 
as  his  example  was  concerned,  he  led  his  pupils  through  accuracy  to  elegance."  From 
the  first,  his  influence  was  directed  to  the  introduction  of  improvements  in  the  methods 
of  teaching,  and  to  attempts  to  advance  the  standard  of  scholarship.  Through  a  long 
life,  he  was  known  as  the  advocate  of  thorough  work  in  all  departments  of  instruction, 
and  if  the  college  has  gained,  during  the  past  three  quarters  of  a  century,  any  distinc- 
tion for  its  determined  and  persistent  hostility  to  all  shams  in  education,  and  its  earnest 


n8  YALE  COLLEGE. 

efforts  in  behalf  of  what  is  exact  and  elegant  in  scholarship,  to  no  one  person  is  the 
honor  more  properly  clue  than  to  James  L.  Kingsley. 

The  wisdom  of  President  I) wight  was  shown  in  no  one  thing  more  conspicuously 
than  in  the  selection  of  these  three  men  to  be  his  associates  as  permanent  officers  of 
the  college.  They  were  not  only  each  superior  in  his  own  department,  but  through 
the  whole  life  of  President  Dwight  they  ever  remained  in  cordial  sympathy  with  him 
in  all  his  views  respecting  education,  and  gave  him  their  hearty  support.  Neither  did 
the  benefits  of  their  connection  with  the  college  cease  with  his  life.  For  a  period  of 
over  fifty  years  these  three  men  lived  to  labor  together  in  its  behalf  as  colleagues,  in 
true  harmony  with  each  other.  They  had  accepted  the  views  of  President  Dwight 
with  regard  to  the  course  to  be  pursued  in  the  administration  of  the  college,  and  they 
were  always  a  unit  in  maintaining  them.  There  never  was  any  jarring  between  them, 
or  any  important  difference  of  opinion.  As  generation  of  students  succeeded  genera- 
tion they  were  found  ever  at  their  posts,  working  together  diligently  and  harmoniously, 
with  no  narrow  spirit  of  jealousy  of  other  institutions,  for  the  advancement  of  all  true 
learning.  In  this  way,  by  their  individual  prominence  in  their  own  departments,  and 
by  their  united  labors,  they  built  up  still  higher  the  reputation  of  the  college,  which 
President  Dwight  had  extended  throughout  the  whole  country.  Students  resorted  to 
it  from  every  State  in  the  Union,  and  it  became  a  truly  national  institution. 

The  foresight  of  Dr.  Dwight  and  his  great  executive  ability  were  also  manifested  in 
the  plans  which  he  adopted,  immediately  on  his  accession  to  the  presidency,  for  the 
material  development  of  the  college.  At  that  time  only  the  south-east  corner  of  the 
present  college  square  belonged  to  the  corporation.  Various  unsightly  buildings  dis- 
figured the  whole  neighborhood.  The  jail  and  the  alms-house  were  within  a  hundred 
feet  of  Connecticut  Hall  ("  South  Middle"),  and  the  jail-yard  was  in  full  view  from  the 
windows  of  the  students.  Dr.  Dwight  perceived  the  desirability  of  having  all  the 
surroundings  of  the  college  attractive,  and  foresaw  that,  if  the  institution  grew  in 
importance,  more  room  would  be  needed.  Accordingly,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr. 
Hillhouse,  the  Treasurer  of  the  college,  he  set  on  foot  a  project  by  which  a  purchase 
was  made,  from  the  various  proprietors,  of  the  whole  front  of  the  present  "  College 
Green,"  and  of  the  greater  part  of  the  square. 

The  advantage  of  this  purchase  was  soon  seen  when  the  rapid  increase  of  students 
brought  the  necessity  for  new  buildings.  In  1800,  the  number  of  undergraduates 
having  nearly  doubled  in  the  five  years  which  had  elapsed  since  Dr.  Dwight  became 
President,  the  corporation  voted  to  erect  a  new  dormitory,  and  a  hall  for  recitation - 
rooms  and  other  public  purposes.  It  had  now  become  possible  to  place  them  to  the 
north  of  Connecticut  Hall  ("South  Middle"),  in  a  line  with  the  buildings  already 
erected.  The  dormitory  was  similar  in  plan  to  that  of  Union  Hall  ("South  College") 
and  was  called  Berkeley  Hall,  in  honor  of  Bishop  Berkeley,  that  generous  benefactor 
of  the  college.  It  is  now  known  as  "North  Middle."  The  other  building,  which  was 
intended  for  recitation -rooms,  for  the  library,  and  for  the  chemical  laboratory,  was 
called  the  Connecticut  Lyceum.  In  1797  Connecticut  Hall  ("South  Middle")  had 
been  thoroughly  repaired  and  a  fourth  story  added,  so  that  when  the  two  new  build- 


PRESIDENT  D  WIGHT. 


ng 


ings  were  completed,  in  1803,  tne  mie  °f  college  edifices  from  "South"  to  "North 
Middle  "  appeared  as  it  is  seen  to-day,  and  with  the  general  uniformity  of  structure 
which  the  buildings  presented,  the  "brick  row"  was  thought  to  produce  a  fine  architec- 
tural effect. 

In  1798,  the  Commons  Hall  received,  also,  some  enlargement.  In  1799,  the  house 
which  had  been  built  in  1722  as  a  dwelling  for  the  President,  being  in  a  dilapidated 
condition,  was  sold,  and  a  new  President's  house  was  built  on  the  college  square,  to  the 
north  and  in  front  of  the  line  of  edifices  already  described. 

During  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Dwight  the  library  also  was  enlarged.  Additions 
were  made  to  the  philosophical  apparatus,  and  to  the  chemical  apparatus.  In  1807  a 
collection  of  about  fifteen  hundred  mineralogical  specimens  was  purchased  of  Mr.  Ben- 
jamin Perkins,  of  the  class  of  1 796,  and  three  or  four  years  later,  through  the  influence 
of  Professor  Silliman  and  Dr.  Dwight,  Colonel  George  Gibbs  of  Newport,  Rhode 
Island,  was  induced  to  place  on  exhibition,  in  one  of  the  college  buildings,  a  very 
valuable  collection  of  minerals  which  he  had  brought  to  this  country  from  Europe. 
This  collection,  which  contained  over  ten  thousand  specimens,  was  subsequently  pur- 
chased for  the  college. 

The  efforts  of  Dr.  Dwight  for  the  improvement  of  the  college  extended  to  every- 
thing connected  with  it.  He  made  very  early  an  important  change  in  the  method  of 
administering  the  discipline  of  the  institution.  The  laws  of  the  college  had  been 
originally  copied  to  a  great  extent  from  those  in  use  in  the  English  universities,  and 
order  was  maintained  by  the  infliction  of  pecuniary  fines.  Thus,  a  student  who  had 
the  command  of  money  had  virtually  the  power  of  purchasing  the  permission  to  violate 
the  college  laws.  Dr.  Dwight  swept  away  the  whole  system  of  pecuniary  fines.  His 
theory  was  that  the  students  should  be  treated  as  gentlemen ;  and  he  placed  his 
principal  reliance  for  the  maintenance  of  order  on  his  being  able  to  persuade  them  to 
do  what  was  right.  In  this  he  was  remarkably  successful.  He  had  the  faculty  of 
appealing  to  the  understanding  and  conscience  of  young  men  in  such  a  way  that  few 
could  resist.  In  those  cases  where  a  student  persisted  in  wrong-doing  after  efforts  had 
been  made  to  reclaim  him,  Dr.  Dwight's  policy  was  to  put  it  out  of  his  power  to  jeopar- 
dize further  the  interests  of  the  college,  by  severing  his  connection  with  the  academic 
body  at  once  by  dismissal. 

At  the  time  that  Dr.  Dwight  became  President,  many  old  customs  also  had  survived 
to  that  day,  which  were  recognized  by  the  officers  of  the  institution,  as  well  as  by  the 
students,  as  having  the  force  of  law.  According  to  these  customs,  the  Freshman  class 
was  in  a  sort  of  degrading  dependence  on  the  members  of  the  two  upper  classes.  It 
was  one  of  the  privileges  of  the  Seniors  and  Juniors  to  send  Freshmen  on  errands,  and 
to  require  of  them  other  menial  services.  These  customs,  under  the  influence  of  Dr. 
Dwight,  were  speedily  abolished,  as  the  relics  of  a  barbarous  age. 

Dr.  Dwight's  efforts,  also,  for  the  religious  welfare  of  the  students,  are  deserving  of 
special  mention.  At  the  time  of  his  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  there  prevailed 
extensively  in  the  country  a  spirit  of  unbelief  in  the  divine  authority  of  the  Christian 
religion.      This  was  to  a  considerable  extent  a  result  of  the  wide-spread  introduction  of 


I2o  VALE  COLLEGE. 

the  contemporary  literature  of  France,  which  country  had  been  regarded  during  the 
war  with  special  interest  and  affection  on  account  of  the  assistance  it  had  afforded  to 
the  armies  of  the  Revolution.  The  bold  and  fearless  manner  in  which  Dr.  Dwight 
invited  the  students  to  state  all  their  doubts,  and  the  triumphant  way  in  which  he 
refuted  the  common  infidel  arguments  of  the  time,  forms  one  of  the  most  interesting 
chapters  in  his  career  as  President.  He  also  made  it  a  habit  to  attend  the  religious 
meetings  of  the  students,  and  there,  by  his  advice  and  instruction,  sought  to  give 
proper  direction  to  their  religious  feelings.  It  was  while  he  was  President  that  those 
seasons  of  special  religious  interest  commenced  among  the  students  which  have  formed 
one  of  the  marked  features  in  the  history  of  the  college  ever  since  the  commencement 
of  the  century. 

Yet  though  it  is  true  that  during  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Dwight  the  tone  of  morals  in 
the  college  was  on  the  whole  higher  than  it  had  ever  been  before,  it  is  also  to  be 
acknowledged  that  this  period  was  characterized  in  an  especial  manner  by  the  growth 
of  an  aggressive  and  even  riotous  spirit,  which  led  to  frequent  collisions  between  the 
students  and  the  lower  class  of  the  townspeople.  The  college  having  attained  a 
national  reputation,  the  number  of  students  was  very  much  increased.  A  large  propor- 
tion of  them  came  from  outside  the  limits  of  Connecticut,  and  even  from  remote  parts 
of  the  country,  and,  being  nearly  all  of  them  far  from  their  homes,  they  naturally  were 
led  to  look  to  one  another  for  companionship.  Living  together  and  intimately  associ- 
ated in  the  same  daily  pursuits,  there  were  developed  among  them  many  peculiarities 
of  social  life  and  an  esprit  dc  corps  which,  from  that  time,  has  ever  been  one  of  the 
marked  characteristics  of  the  alumni  of  the  college,  both  graduate  and  undergraduate. 

Among  such  numbers  of  young  men,  for  they  were  now  counted  by  hundreds,  it  was 
always  true  that  in  every  class  there  were  those  who  were  noted  for  strength  and  mus- 
cular activity.  But  in  those  days  it  was  very  much  a  matter  of  accident  what  direction 
would  be  given  to  the  buoyant  spirits  of  youth.  It  is  not  surprising,  then,  that  in  a 
thriving  seaport,  such  as  New  Haven  had  become,  where  there  were  at  all  times  a 
large  number  of  unemployed  sailors,  opportunities  of  testing  the  relative  prowess  of 
town  and  gown  should  not  be  unwelcome  to  those  who  felt  the  need  of  physical  exer- 
cise. In  fact  such  collisions  began  to  be  not  unfrequent,  and  in  one  of  them  a  gigantic 
club  was  wrested  from  the  hands  of  a  sailor  by  a  student  who  was  renowned  for  his 
strength,  and  who  henceforth  became  the  acknowledged  leader  of  his  comrades  in  all 
their  conflicts.  This  club,  being  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation  of 
college  students  to  the  person  in  each  Senior  class  who  was  deemed  most  worthy  to 
succeed  to  the  perilous  honor,  continued  for  years  to  be  an  object  of  chivalrous  and 
even  affectionate  regard.  It  was  a  kind  of  labarum  around  which  the  students  rallied 
in  the  conflicts  in  which,  from  their  superior  numbers  and  from  their  thorough 
acquaintance  with  one  another,  they  generally  triumphed.  In  later  years,  when  a  new 
direction  had  been  given  to  the  exercise  of  physical  strength  among  the  students,  the 
club  was  still  annually  delivered,  with  imposing  ceremonies,  to  some  person  in  the 
Senior  class  who  possessed  natural  qualities  for  leadership,  who  was  supposed  as  the 
bearer  of  it  to  be  invested  with  some  special  kind  of  authority  over  his  fellow-students. 


PRESIDENT  D  WIGHT.  121 

Physical  strength  was  now  considered  as  only  one  of  the  requisites  to  be  sought  in  a 
candidate  for  this  honor.  The  "College  Bully"  had,  in  fact,  come  to  be  regarded  as 
little  more  than  the  Moderator  of  the  Senior  class  at  their  class  gatherings,  or  of  the 
whole  community  of  students  whenever  they  were  assembled  in  a  general  meeting,  but 
he  was  always  looked  upon  with  some  disfavor  by  the  officers  of  the  college,  as  the 
wielder  of  an  impcrium  in  impcrio,  and  at  last,  in  1840,  the  office  was  abolished. 

From  the  account  which  has  now  been  given  of  the  labors  of  Dr.  Dwight  in  behalf 
of  the  college,  it  will  be  seen  how  broad  were  his  views  for  the  enlargement  of  its 
curriculum  of  study  and  for  its  material  improvement.  But  his  views  extended  further. 
It  was  a  part  of  his  comprehensive  plan  to  establish,  in  connection  with  the  institution, 
professional  schools  with  distinct  faculties  of  instruction.  This  was  a  work  of  even 
greater  difficulty  than  the  one  which  has  already  been  described,  and  it  became  neces- 
sary for  him  to  proceed  with  deliberation. 

A  separate  department  in  the  college  for  professional  theological  instruction  seemed 
to  him  very  desirable.  Theological  instruction  had  been  given  at  the  college  from  its 
very  foundation.  From  the  time  of  the  appointment  of  a  Professor  of  Divinity,  in  1755, 
special  attention  had  been  paid  to  the  training  of  graduate  students  who  were  looking 
forward  to  an  entrance  into  the  ministry.  Dr.  Daggett  and  Dr.  Wales  had  each  con- 
sidered it  to  be  a  part  of  their  official  duty  to  assist  such  students  in  their  preparation 
for  the  clerical  office.  This  work  had  accordingly  been  assumed  by  Dr.  Dwight,  as  in 
connection  with  the  office  of  President  he  held  that  of  Professor  of  Divinity.  Numer- 
ous classes  of  resident  graduates  came  under  his  tuition  in  successive  years.  In  the 
list  of  his  pupils  are  found  the  names  of  Moses  Stuart,  Lyman  Beecher,  and  Nathaniel 
W.  Taylor.  But  the  time  had  come  when  there  was  need  of  having  in  connection  with 
the  college  a  more  thorough  and  systematic  course  of  theological  instruction,  and  he 
made  public  announcement  that  he  should  attempt,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  carry  out 
the  original  design  of  the  founders  of  the  institution  by  establishing  a  separate  theo- 
logical school.  He  never  was  able  to  realize  his  hopes,  but  he  induced  one  of  his  sons, 
who  was  a  merchant  in  New  Haven,  to  invest  a  sum  of  money  in  a  business  operation, 
with  the  intention  of  ultimately  giving  it,  with  the  profits  arising  from  it,  towards  the 
carrying  out  of  this  idea.  It  was  owing  in  no  small  degree  to  his  efforts  that  the 
school  was  finally  established  in  1822. 

President  Dwight  took  measures,  also,  as  early  as  1806,  to  prepare  the  way  for  pro- 
fessional instruction  in  medical  science.  It  was  considered  desirable,  however,  in  the 
undertaking,  to  have  the  co-operation  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  ;  and  nego- 
tiations were  accordingly  commenced  with  that  body.  This  occasioned  some  delay,  so 
that  it  was  not  till  18 10  that  an  act  was  obtained  from  the  legislature  regulating  the 
joint  action  of  the  Medical  Society  and  the  corporation  of  the  college  in  establishing 
and  conducting  a  medical  school.  In  18 13  four  medical  professors  were  appointed: 
^Eneas  Munson,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Materia  Medica  and  Botany;  Eli  Ives,  M.D., 
Adjunct  Professor  in  the  same  department;  Nathan  Smith,  M.D.,  Professor  of  the 
Theory  and  Practice  of  Physic,  Surgery,  and  Obstetrics  ;  and  Jonathan  Knight,  M.D., 
Professor  of  Anatomy,      The  professorship  of  chemistry  in  the  college  made  it  unneces- 

VOL.  I. — 16 


122  YALE   COLLEGE. 

sary  to  provide  another  professor  in  that  department.  The  same  year,  the  lectures 
commenced  under  very  favorable  auspices  ;  and  the  legislature  at  their  session  in  May, 
1814,  made  a  grant  to  the  institution  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  to  aid  in  effecting  its 
objects. 

It  was  a  part  of  Dr.  Dwight's  plan,  also,  to  make  provision  for  the  study  of  the  law. 
In  1 801,  a  professorship  of  law  was  founded,  and  the  Hon.  Elizur  Goodrich  was 
elected  to  fill  the  chair ;  but  it  does  not  seem  to  have  been  designed,  at  this  time,  to 
furnish  such  instruction  as  would  qualify  students  for  the  bar.  There  was  a  law 
school  of  high  character  already  established  in  the  State,  in  the  town  of  Litchfield,  and 
in  successful  operation,  under  the  charge  of  Judge  Reeve  and  Judge  Gould.  President 
Dwight's  design  seems  rather  to  have  been  to  provide  occasional  lectures  for  the 
benefit  of  the  undergraduates  on  the  leading  principles  of  the  science. 

It  was  not  permitted  to  President  Dwight  to  behold  the  complete  success  of  his  plans 
for  the  development  of  the  college  into  a  university,  but  he  laid  the  foundations  of  what 
is  seen  to-day.  He  continued  for  more  than  twenty  years  to  discharge  all  the  many 
duties  which  he  had  assumed,  when,  in  the  midst  of  his  labors,  in  the  early  part  of 
18 16,  he  was  seized  with  a  disease  from  which  he  partially  recovered,  but  which,  after 
a  few  months,  resulted  in  the  termination  of  his  life,  January  11,  181 7,  in  the  sixty-fifth 
year  of  his  age. 

The  name  and  the  services  of  this  eminent  President  of  the  college  have  been 
remembered  within  its  walls  to  this  day  with  an  interest  and  an  affection  which  it  has 
fallen  to  the  lot  of  but  few  men  to  call  forth.  Many  of  the  students  who  came  under 
his  instruction  attained  a  high  position  in  after  years  in  every  walk  of  life,  and  all,  as 
long  as  they  lived,  with  one  voice  united  in  pronouncing  him  one  of  the  most  able  and 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  that  this  country  has  ever  produced.  The  few  who 
still  survive  speak  of  him  not  only  with  warm  affection,  but  with  an  enthusiasm  which 
reveals  itself  at  once  and  unmistakably  in  the  eye  and  in  the  voice,  as  the  model 
college  President  of  his  day.  One  of  his  descendants,  now  a  professor  in  the  college, 
has  said,  in  a  recent  address:  "Every  student  who  came  to  Yale  College  saw  in  its 
President  a  grand  specimen  of  man.  He  was  not  greater  than  some  other  men  of  that 
generation  or  of  this  in  particular  lines,  probably  he  was  not  the  equal  of  some ;  but,  if 
we  may  give  any  credence  to  what  the  fathers  have  told  us,  he  was  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  of  men  in  modern  times  for  the  roundness  and  fullness,  the  variety  and 
symmetry,  of  his  powers.  He  was  an  ardent  lover  of  music  ;  a  poet  of  some  merit,  to 
say  the  least,  considering  the  age ;  a  teacher  of  extraordinary  ability ;  one  of  the  first 
preachers  of  his  generation.  He  was  acquainted  with  almost  every  subject,  had  read 
extensively  in  the  literature  of  the  English  language,  was  a  delighted  observer  of 
nature,  loved  flowers  and  all  beautiful  things  with  the  ardor  of  a  child,  and  opened  his 
mind  to  be  taught  in  everything  useful,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  sphere.  He  had 
practical  wisdom  to  devise  plans  for  needed  improvements,  and  practical  energy  to  carry 
out  these  plans  to  their  result,  to  a  degree  which  few  have  ever  surpassed.  He  had  a 
hopeful  outlook  upon  the  future,  and  believed  that  the  golden  age  was  yet  to  come,  and 
he  was  ready  for  every  necessary  effort  and  sacrifice  to  make  that  future  possible,  as 


PRESIDENT  D  WIGHT. 


123 


well  as  to  hasten  its  coming.  He  was  a  patriot  with  the  most  ardent  love  for  his 
country,  believing  in  liberty  and  abhorring  the  system  which  brought  human  beings 
into  bondage  and  deprived  them  of  all  their  dearest  rights.  He  was  a  Christian 
believer  of  the  humblest  and  most  earnest  kind,  full  of  love  for  his  fellow-men,  and  ever 
ready  to  give  them  sympathy  and  help  on  their  way  to  heaven.  With  reasoning 
powers  of  a  high  order,  with  a  cultivated  imagination,  with  a  conversational  ability 
admired  by  all  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance,  and  by  strangers  even  who  met  him  for 
the  first  time,  with  the  manners  of  a  gentleman,  and,  in  a  wonderful  degree,  the  bear- 
ing and  person  of  a  noble  man — his  form  erect  and  full  of  dignity,  his  face  beaming  with 
intelligence  and  virtue,  and  his  whole  appearance  impressive  and  commanding — with 
all  this  so  conspicuous  to  every  beholder,  he  must  have  filled  the  college  with  the 
refinement  of  his  presence ;  he  must  have  been,  as  they  saw  him  from  day  to  day,  an 
example  to  all  his  pupils  which  they  could  not  but  desire  to  imitate." 

Dr.  Dwight  lived  in  a  country  which  was  then  little  known  beyond  its  own  territo- 
ries. He  was  at  the  head  of  an  institution  of  learning  which  was  scarcely  recognized 
among  the  renowned  universities  of  the  world,  yet  for  his  native  strength  of  mind,  his 
acquired  learning,  his  splendid  abilities,  the  work  which  he  accomplished  in  behalf  of 
the  cause  of  learning  for  his  own  and  future  generations,  he  deserves  to  be  ranked  as 
one  of  the  first  men  of  his  time.  As  President  of  the  college,  he  will  always  be 
remembered  as  the  organizer  to  whom  it  owes  its  present  constitution,  and  a  large 
share  of  whatever  future  greatness  it  may  yet  attain. 


MONUMENT   OK   PRESIDENT   DWIGHT.      GROVE-STREET   CEMETERY. 


LIBRARY,    A.D.    1S44. 


CHAPTER    X. 


REV.  JEREMIAH  DAY,  D.D.,  PRESIDENT,  A.D.   18 17-1846. 


President  Dwight's  Wishes  with  regard  to  his  Successor. — Rev.  Henry  Davis,  D.  D. ,  elected  Presi- 
dent.— He  declines. — Professor  Day  elected,  and  accepts. — Inaugurated,  July  23,  1817. — Mr.  Eleazar 
T.  Fitch  elected  Professor  of  Divinity. — The  Rev.  Chauncey  A.  Goodrich  elected  Professor  of 
Rhetoric  and  Oratory. — Mr.  Alexander  M.  Fisher  elected  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural 
Philosophy. — President  Day's  Views  with  regard  to  the  Administration  of  the  College. — Changes  in 
Methods  of  Instruction  and  in  Discipline. — New  Commons  Hall,  erected  A.D.  18 19. — Chemical  Labor- 
atory.— "  North  College,"  erected  A.D.  1821. — A  Theological  Department  established,  A.D.  1822.— 
The  Rev.  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor  elected  "Dwight  Professor  of  Didactic  Theology,"  A.D.  1822. — 
Professor  Josiah  W.  Gibbs. — Professor  Eleazar  T.  Fitch. — Professor  Chauncey  A.  Goodrich. — A  new 
Chapel  built,  A.D.  1824. — A  second  College  ("Washington,"  now  "Trinity")  established  in  Con- 
necticut, A.D.  1823. — Repeal  of  the  Act  requiring  an  Assent  to  the  "  Saybrook  Platform." — Loss  of 
Professor  Alexander  M.  Fisher  in  the  "  Albion,"  A.D.  1822. — Purchase  of  the  "  Gibbs  Cabinet, "  A.D. 
1823. — The  Rev.  Matthew  R.  Dutton  elected  Professor,  A.D.  1822. — His  Death,  A.D.  1825. — Pro- 
fessor Denison  Olmsted. — Judge  Daggett  elected  Professor  of  Law,  A.D.  1826. — The  Law  School. — 
Death  of  Dr.  Nathan  Smith. — Attempt  to  raise  the  Grade  of  Scholarship. — A  stricter  Discipline. — 
Adjustment  of  the  College  Community  to  the  new  state  of  things. — -Objections  to  the  Study  of  the 
"  Dead  Languages." — President  Day's  Defense  of  the  existing  Course  of  Study. — He  states  its  Object. — 
"Bread  and  Butter  Rebellion,"  A.D.  1828. — "  Conic  Sections  Rebellion,"  A.D.  1830. — General  Reli- 
gious Interest  among  the  Students,  A.D.  1831. —  "  Taylorism." — "Illinois  Association." — The  $100,000 
Fund. — Mr.  Theodore  D.  Woolsey  elected  Greek  Professor,  A.D.  1831. — Paintings  of  Colonel  John 
Trumbull. — The  "Trumbull  Gallery  "  erected,  A.D.  1832. — Divinity  College  erected,  A.D.  1836. — - 
Library  Building  erected,  A.D.  1844. — College  Magazines. — Secret  Societies. — Resignation. 

It  was  understood,  on  the  death  of  President  Dwight,  that  he  had  expressed  the 
desire  that  Professor  Jeremiah  Day  should  be  his  successor.  It  has  already  been 
stated  that,  twenty  years  before,  when  President  Dwight  had  been  called  to  leave 
Greenfield  Hill,  he  had  selected  Mr.  Day,  who  had  then  just  graduated  in  the  first 
class  to  which  he  had  given  degrees,  to  take  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  important 
school  which  he  had  established  there,  and  in  whose  continued  prosperity  he  felt  deep 
interest.  Three  years  after,  Mr.  Day  was  invited  to  come  to  New  Haven  as  a  tutor, 
and,  in  1803,  he  had  entered  upon  the  duties  of  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural 

124 


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I. 

2. 

■ 
CON- 

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e  "  Gibbs  Cab  \.D. 

D.  1822. — His  Death,  A.D.  1825. — Pro- 
of Law,  A.D.   1826. — Th;  l. — 
/ 

RSHIP. A  S  . 

IONS    TO     :  THE 

lL  Reli- 

[OHN 
36. 

,  that  h<  tressed  the 

;   successor.      It  r  ^en 

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he  felt  deep 

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PRESIDENT  DAY.  125 

Philosophy.  In  all  the  years  which  had  intervened  since  he  had  first  attracted  the 
attention  of  Dr.  Dwight,  he  had  manifested  such  abilities  as  a  teacher,  and  such  wis- 
dom and  prudence  in  conducting  the  discipline  of  the  college,  such  comprehension  of 
the  ideas  and  plans  of  that  eminent  man,  and  such  a  ready  disposition  to  co-operate  in 
carrying  them  out,  that  he  had  won  his  entire  confidence. 

There  was,  however,  a  great  reluctance  on  the  part  of  Professor  Day,  to  accept  the 
office  which  it  was  now  proposed  to  confer  upon  him.  President  Dwight  had  been  a 
man  of  such  varied  abilities,  and,  as  a  college  officer,  had  discharged  so  many  duties ; 
he  occupied,  also,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  so  important  a  position  in  the  public  eye,  as 
a  man  of  national  reputation,  that  it  seemed  as  if  no  man  could  fill  his  place  in  such  a 
way  as  to  satisfy  the  expectations  of  the  friends  of  the  college. 

The  reluctance  of  Professor  Day  being  understood,  the  corporation,  when  they  met 
in  February,  were  led  to  give  their  votes  for  the  Rev.  Henry  Davis,  D.D.,  at  that  time 
the  President  of  Middlebury  College.  He,  however,  declined  to  accept  the  office  ten- 
dered to  him,  and  the  corporation  then  proceeded,  at  their  next  meeting,  in  April,  to 
make  a  formal  offer  of  the  Presidency  to  Professor  Day,  who  at  last  yielded  to  their 
wishes  and  to  the  urgent  representations  of  his  colleagues.  He  was  inaugurated  July 
23,  181 7,  after  having  been  ordained,  in  the  morning  of  the  same  day,  to  the  ministry 
of  the  Gospel. 

At  this  time,  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  new  President,  the  corporation 
relieved  him  of  a  part  of  the  duties  which  had  been  discharged  by  Dr.  Dwight,  and 
made  choice  of  Mr.  Eleazar  T.  Fitch,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  18 10  and  a  candidate 
for  the  ministry,  to  be  Professor  of  Divinity  ;  and  soon  after  elected  the  Rev.  Chauncey 
A.  Goodrich,  of  the  same  class,  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  Oratory.  Mr.  Alexander  M. 
Fisher,  a  tutor  in  the  college,  was  also  elected  to  fill  the  chair  of  Mathematics  and 
Natural  Philosophy,  which  had  been  left  vacant  by  the  elevation  of  Professor  Day  to 
the  Presidency. 

President  Day  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  new  office  with  the  intention  of  carry- 
ing the  college  forward  and  promoting  its  growth  in  general  accordance  with  the 
views  of  Dr.  Dwight ;  but  the  services  which  he  rendered  during  the  twenty-nine 
years  in  which  he  was  in  office  were  distinct  and  peculiar. 

Dr.  Dwight's  power  as  President  had  been  to  a  great  extent  of  a  personal  kind.  As 
an  instructor,  it  was  his  custom,  instead  of  adhering  to  the  text-book,  to  use  it  only  as 
a  general  guide  to  his  own  course  of  remark,  while  he  made  it  his  object,  first,  to 
impart  information  on  the  subject  of  the  recitation,  drawing  the  materials  of  thought 
from  his  richly  furnished  mind  ;  and  then,  with  glowing  eloquence,  to  awaken  the 
interest  of  the  students  in  the  subject,  and  to  stimulate  them  to  think  independently 
upon  it.  Day  after  day,  for  two  hours  at  a  time,  he  would  hold  those  who  came  under 
his  instruction  unwearied  to  the  end.  One  of  his  former  pupils,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sprague, 
says  :  "  He  was  never  at  a  loss  what  to  say,  and  seemed  to  say  everything  in  the  best 
manner.  He  had  matured  thoughts  upon  every  subject ;  and  as  for  language  he  was 
the  very  beau  ideal  of  the  copia  verborum"  He  adds  :  "His  students  alone  who 
remember  the  graceful  ease  with  which   he   sat  in   his  great  chair  at  the  head  of  the 


I26  VALE  COLLEGE. 

recitation-room  ;  the  gradual  kindling  of  his  spirit  under  the  subject  which  lie  had  in 
hand  ;  the  flashes  of  wit  and  genius,  accompanied  with  the  lightning  glances  of  his 
eye  ;  they  only  can  have  an  adequate  impression  of  the  grace  and  power  of  attraction 
that  characterized  these  comparatively  unstudied  efforts."  But  this  power  which  Dr. 
Dwight  exercised  of  stimulating  the  students  to  think  was  the  power  of  genius.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  in  the  peculiar  ability  which  he  displayed  in  accomplishing  this  he 
was  ever  surpassed. 

So,  in  administering  the  discipline  of  the  college,  and  preserving  order,  Dr.  Dwight 
depended  upon  his  personal  influence  and  his  powers  of  persuasion  ;  and  not  without 
reason.  Professor  Kingsley  says  :  "  No  person  ever  more  thoroughly  understood  the 
feelings  and  passions  of  young  men,  and  their  modes  of  thinking  and  reasoning,  or 
knew  better  what  motives  to  urge,  when  it  was  necessary  to  check  their  waywardness, 
or  to  incite  them  to  laudable  efforts.  Whether  he  had  occasion  to  speak  to  the  stu- 
dents at  large  or  to  portions  of  them,  he  always  succeeded  in  producing  a  conviction 
of  the  interest  he  took  in  their  welfare,  in  which  there  was  no  affectation  ;  and  he 
addressed  at  the  same  time  their  understandings  and  their  consciences  with  such 
appropriateness  and  force  that  few  continued  in  opposition.  Towards  the  close  of  his 
life  he  sometimes  remarked  that  talking  seemed  to  have  lost  most  of  its  efficacy — yet 
to  others  it  was  not  so  apparent." 

President  Day  was  a  very  different  man  ;  and  his  power  was  of  a  very  different 
kind.  Under  his  administration  it  came  to  be  the  method,  more  generally  than  ever 
before,  of  requiring  of  the  students  prolonged  and  careful  work  in  the  preparation  of 
appointed  tasks.  It  was  felt  that  it  was  in  this  way  alone  the  mental  discipline  can 
be  obtained  which  is  needed  in  all  the  liberal  pursuits  of  life.  So,  with  regard  to 
the  government  of  the  college,  his  idea  was  to  secure  good  order  by  reducing  all  the 
operations  of  the  institution  to  the  perfection  of  regularity,  in  the  general  line  of  its 
traditions  from  the  beginning,  and  especially  in  conformity  with  the  views  of  Dr. 
Dwight.  Good  order  was  to  be  maintained  by  requiring  obedience  to  wisely  estab- 
lished regulations.  He  himself  was  the  mildest  and  most  lenient  of  men,  and  was 
actuated  by  the  same  kind  and  paternal  feelings  which  characterized  in  so  remarkable 
a  manner  his  predecessor.  Yet  it  should  not  be  supposed  that  these  qualities  indicated 
mere  easiness  of  temper  or  an  incapacity  to  feel  moral  indignation  ;  for  when,  as  it 
happened  on  several  occasions,  a  conflict  arose  between  the  students  and  the  authori- 
ties of  the  college,  he  showed  no  hesitation  in  adopting  and  carrying  out  the  most 
prompt  and  decided  measures. 

But,  in  the  new  aspects  of  life  which  President  Day  was  soon  called  upon  to  meet, 
he  was  led  to  feel  that  it  was  important  that  his  authority  should  be  supplemented  by 
that  of  his  associates.  It  was  his  opinion  that  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
institution  would  proceed  more  harmoniously  if  all  questions  connected  with  the  policy 
to  be  pursued  were  discussed  and  decided  in  a  full  meeting  of  all  its  officers.  The 
action  of  the  united  Faculty  would  carry  more  weight  with  the  community  of  students. 
The  officers  themselves,  also,  would  feel  more  thoroughly  committed  to  assist  in  carry- 
ing out  measures  which  they  had  helped  to  shape,  and  which  had  been  voted  upon  and 


PRESIDENT  DA  Y. 


127 


adopted  after  a  discussion  in  which  an  opportunity  had  been  given  them  of  expressing 
their  opinion.  In  this  way,  through  the  natural  development  of  influences  which  had 
been  in  existence  during  the  life  of  Dr.  Dwight,  and  as  the  result  of  the  peculiar  char- 
acteristics of  President  Day,  that  method  of  college  government  came  into  distinct 
form  which  is  known  as  "  the  government  of  the  Faculty."  Henceforth  it  was  under- 
stood that  no  important  action  of  any  kind  was  ever  to  be  taken,  even  by  the  corpo- 
ration, without  the  recommendation  or  assent  of  the  corps  of  instructors ;  in  particular 
that  no  professor  or  other  officer  was  to  be  appointed  without  the  consent  of  those  who 
were  devoting  their  lives  to  the  daily  instruction  and  government  of  the  institution, 
and  with  whom  any  new  officer  would  be  associated.*  This  type  of  government  was 
at  first,  in  great  measure,  peculiar  to  the  college ;  but  its  advantages  have  been  seen 
to  be  so  great  that  it  has  been  adopted  in  other  institutions. 

The  succession  of  President  Day  to  the  presidency  at  this  time  was  a  very  fortunate 
event.  It  was  known  that  he  was  to  have  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  two  profes- 
sors who  had  so  long  been  associated  with  him,  and  this  fact  gave  additional  assurance 
to  the  friends  of  Dr.  Dwight  that  there  was  to  be  no  essential  departure  from  the 
policy  which  he  had  inaugurated,  and  which  had  proved  under  him  so  successful. 

Accordingly  there  was  not  only  no  falling  off  in  the  number  of  students,  but  the  next 
year  it  was  found  that  their  number  had  so  increased  that  the  Commons  Hall,  which 
had  been  built  in  1782,  would  no  longer  afford  suitable  accommodations  for  them. 
The  restricted  quarters  to  which  they  were  confined  had  already  given  rise  to  some 
difficulties,  and  to  prevent  any  recurrence  of  them  in  the  future,  the  corporation  voted 
to  erect  a  new  building.  The  new  Commons  Hall  was  completed  in  18 19,  and  was  so 
arranged  that  besides  the  necessary  kitchens  and  dining-rooms,  a  large  and  convenient 
room  in  the  second  story  was  provided  for  the  mineralogical  cabinet.  The  old  Com- 
mons Hall,  also,  was  fitted  up  as  a  chemical  laboratory.  In  1820  it  was  determined 
to  erect  a  new  dormitory  of  the  same  general  description  with  those  already  built. 
The  new  building  was  placed  in  a  line  with  those  already  erected,  and  finished  in  182 1. 
It  is  known  as  "  North  College." 

But  the  improvements  made  in  the  college  at  this  time  were  not  alone  of  a  material 
kind.  It  was  not  long  before  the  way  seemed  to  be  opened  for  carrying  out  the 
design  of  Dr.  Dwight  with  regard  to  enlarging  the  course  of  theological  instruction. 
In  1822  fifteen  students,  who  were  about  to  graduate  that  year,  presented  a  petition 
that  they  might  be  organized  into  a  theological  class.     Professor  Fitch,  whose  duty  it 

*  Dr.  Woolsey,  in  his  Address  on  the  occasion  of  the  Inauguration  of  President  Porter,  says  :  "The  Board,  in  whose  hands 
the  ultimate  and  highest  decision  rests,  have  ever  felt  that  their  interference,  without  the  request  of  the  officers  of  instruction, 
in  the  study  and  order  of  the  institution,  would  be  uncalled  for  and  unwise  ;  that  independent,  unsolicited  action  on  their  part 
would  amount  to  a  censure  of  the  faculties,  and  would  lead  to  discord  and  confusion.  With  scarcely  an  exception,  no  law  has 
been  passed,  no  officer  appointed,  unless  after  full  consultation  and  exchange  of  views  between  the  boards  of  control  and  of 
instruction.  And  hence,  if  there  are  defects  in  our  system,  the  faculties  are,  as  they  ought  to  be,  mainly  responsible  ;  if  an 
inefficient  or  unfaithful  officer  comes  into  a  chair  of  instruction,  the  faculties,  who  know  him  best,  and  not  the  corporation,  are 
to  bear  whatever  censure  is  justly  due.  I  hope  that  this  may  always  continue.  I  would  not  indeed  have  the  corporation  a 
mere  organ  to  carry  into  effect  the  will  of  their  subordinate  officers  ;  I  would  have  them  think  and  judge  for  themselves  ;  have 
their  ears  open  to  all  complaints  against  the  system  of  teaching  or  of  governing,  and  see  that  the  instructions  are  faithfully 
and  successfully  given  ;  but  to  interfere  '  nisi  dignus  vindice  nodus,'  would  be  in  the  highest  degree  unwise  ;  it  would  be  to 
reduce  the  faculties  to  the  condition  of  mere  agents,  and  to  drive  away  the  best  officers  from  the  institution." 


128  VALE  COLLEGE. 

had  been  to  give  instruction  to  those  who  were  preparing  for  the  ministry,  supported 
their  request  in  an  elaborate  paper.  I  le  stated  that  since  his  induction  into  office  he 
had,  in  conformity  with  what  had  been  the  custom  of  his  predecessors,  given  instruc- 
tion in  theology,  but  that  "  the  standard  of  theological  education  had  been  very  much 
advanced  since  the  establishment  of  the  office  of  Divinity  Professor,  and  that  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  take  charge  of  the  instruction  in  the  different  branches  of 
theology  and  at  the  same  time  perform  the  work  which  devolved  upon  him  in  the 
academical  department."  Accordingly  he  submitted  the  question  whether  "exertions 
shall  not  be  made  to  add  a  new  professor  to  the  college,  who  shall  take  part  in  the 
education  of  the  theological  students  and  in  the  duties  of  the  chapel."  This  proposal 
of  Professor  Fitch  was  warmly  seconded  by  the  other  officers  of  the  college  Faculty. 
In  a  paper  which  they  submitted  to  the  corporation  they  expressed  it  as  their  opinion 
that  if  what  was  the  principal  design  of  the  founders  of  the  college  was  not  to  be  aban- 
doned, there  was  need  of  the  additional  services  of  a  professor  who  should  devote  him- 
self to  theological  instruction.  They  suggested  that  if  this  arrangement  was  made  the 
professor  might  be  assisted  in  the  department  of  Hebrew  Criticism  by  the  Professor  of 
Languages,  in  Sacred  Rhetoric  by  the  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  Oratory,  and  in 
Greek  Criticism  and  Systematic  Theology  by  the  Professor  of  Divinity.  The  corpo- 
ration, thereupon,  with  a  distinct  acknowledgment  that  they  were  moved  by  the  consid- 
eration of  fidelity  to  what  was  a  prominent  design  of  the  founders  of  the  college,  and 
one  which  had  been  pursued  in  every  period  of  its  history,  voted  that  a  new  chair 
should  be  founded,  and  that,  in  commemoration  of  the  services  of  President  Dwight,  it 
should  bear  the  title  of  the  "Dwight  Professorship  of  Didactic  Theology."  They  also 
made  an  appeal  to  the  friends  of  the  college  for  the  sum  of  $20,000  as  an  endowment 
of  this  new  theological  professorship.  The  required  sum  was  soon  made  up,  Mr. 
Timothy  Dwight,  the  son  of  President  Dwight,  making  a  subscription  towards  it 
of  $5,000.  The  Rev.  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor,  who  had  been  the  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  in  New  Haven  for  ten  years,  was  chosen  to  fill  the  office.  At  first,  Professor 
Kingsley  gave  instruction  in  Hebrew,  and  Professor  Fitch  in  the  Greek  of  the  New 
Testament  and  in  the  criticism  of  sermons.  It  was  understood,  however,  from  the  out- 
set, that  a  new  department  of  the  college  had  been  formed,  distinct  in  its  funds,  in  its 
officers,  and  in  its  government.  The  aid  rendered  by  the  college  professors,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Professor  of  Divinity,  was  voluntary,  and  was  expected  to  continue 
only  until  the  school  could  supply  itself  with  additional  teachers  of  its  own.  In  1824, 
Josiah  W.  Gibbs,  of  the  class  of  1809,  was  invited  to  discharge  the  duties  of  Professor 
of  Sacred  Literature,  both  of  the  Hebrew  and  the  Greek;  and,  in  1826,  funds  having 
been  obtained  for  the  founding  of  the  professorship,  he  was  elected  Professor  and 
inducted  into  office.  Professor  Goodrich  was  not  formally  appointed  to  the  professor- 
ship of  the  Pastoral  Charge  till  1839,  but,  from  the  beginning,  his  relations  to  this 
department  of  the  college  were  most  intimate,  and  his  services  constant. 

Professor  G.  P.  Fisher,  in  an  address  which  he  delivered  on  the  occasion  of  the 
celebration  of  the  semi-centennial  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  school,  thus 
characterizes  the  four  men,  whose  names  will  ever  be  associated  with  its  early  history: 


PRESIDENT  DAY.  l2g 

"  Taylor,  Fitch,  Gibbs,  and  Goodrich  made  up  the  corps  of  instructors  through  the 
long  term  that  constitutes  the  first  period  in  the  annals  of  the  seminary.  They  were 
all  men  of  uncommon  ability  ;  they  were  well  united  in  theological  opinion  and  in 
their  general  spirit  and  aim  ;  and  yet  they  were  marked  by  a  striking  individuality. 
Each  was  quite  dissimilar  from  all  the  others.  Indeed,  they  were  so  unlike  in  their 
native  characteristics  and  in  the  peculiar  work  they  fulfilled  that  it  seems  impossible  to 
weigh  them  in  any  comparative  estimate : 

"  Unquestionably  the  central  figure  in  the  seminary  was  Dr.  Taylor.  This  was  not 
due  merely  to  his  intellectual  powers,  or  to  his  magnetic  quality  as  a  teacher,  but  was 
owing  in  some  degree  to  the  fact  that  the  taste  of  the  time  turned  strongly  in  the 
direction  of  metaphysical  theology.  I  have  not  room  for  the  attempt  to  characterize 
at  length  this  body  of  friends  and  associates.  Dr.  Taylor  blended  the  attributes  of  a 
philosopher  and  an  orator  ;  of  a  philosopher  subtle,  logical,  and  strong  to  deal  with 
the  most  intricate  inquiries  ;  of  an  orator  whose  conceptions  were  vivid  as  well  as  clear, 
and  whose  earnest  and  impressive  delivery  enabled  him  to  enchain  the  attention  and 
sway  the  feelings  of  his  hearers.     When  he  rose  in  any  assembly 

"  '  his  look 


Drew  audience  and  attention  still  as  night.' 

Many  can  look  back  in  memory  to  his  lecture  room,  and  see  him  in  his  chair  dis- 
coursing upon  the  high  themes  of  moral  government ;  lifting  his  dark  lustrous  eyes  as 
he  closed  a  sentence  of  peculiar  point  or  weight ;  then  proceeding  in  that  deep-toned, 
modulated  voice,  and  rising  at  times  to  a  strain  of  powerful  and  stirring  eloquence. 
You  cannot  know  him  from  his  printed  works.  There  was  vastly  more  in  the  man 
than  can  be  transferred  to  paper.  Everything  seemed  different  when  it  was  warm 
from  his  lips.  His  extemporaneous  flashes  often  surpassed  his  most  elaborate  discus- 
sions. He  had  a  royal  nature  ;  a  weight  of  personality  more  easily  felt  than  analyzed; 
and  an  intellectual  fascination  that  cast  a  spell  over  all  within  the  circle  of  his  influence. 
His  heart  was  the  fit  associate  of  such  a  mind.  He  had  a  soldier's  courage  that  rose 
as  dangers  thickened  ;  but  he  was  as  gentle  and  loving  as  a  child.  He  had  no  malice. 
He  loved  his  fellow-men,  and  desired  their  love  and  confidence  in  return. 

"  If  Dr.  Taylor  united  in  himself  the  metaphysician  and  the  orator,  Dr.  Fitch  was  a 
mingling  of  the  metaphysician  and  the  poet.  He  was  a  philosopher  who  appeared  to 
me  as  well  qualified  by  nature  for  deep  and  far-reaching  theological  inquiry  as  any 
man  of  whom  I  ever  had  knowledge ;  yet  he  had  the  temperament  of  a  poet  and 
carried  into  every  product  of  his  mind  an  artistic  feeling.  In  one  mood  he  might 
appear  a  dry  metaphysician,  living  amid  abstract  relations  and  caring  for  naught  else ; 
in  another  mood  imagination  had  the  mastery,  and  a  singular  pathos  infused  itself 
into  his  voice  and  pen.  His  brief  series  of  lectures  on  homiletics  were  considered  at 
the  time  and  for  the  time  to  be  unsurpassed  in  merit. 

"Professor  Gibbs  was  the  scholar  of  the  Faculty;  patient,  accurate,  thorough,  and 
conscientious  in  all  his  researches,  cautious  and  naturally  skeptical  in  his  intellectual 
habit,  but  with  a  profound  religious  sense,  and  a  candor  more  beautiful  than  the 
VOL.  1. — 17 


130  VALE  COLLEGE. 

highest  gifts  of  intellect.  Lord  Melbourne  jocosely  said  that  he  wished  he  were  as 
certain  of  anything  as  Macaulay  was  of  everything.  This  implied  criticism  would 
never  be  made  of  Professor  Gibbs.  There  were  not  many  things  of  which  he  was 
absolutely  certain.  His  colleagues  were  men  of  a  robust  tone  of  intellect.  They  were 
disposed  to  conclude  and  settle  things.  They  did  not  like  to  hold  their  minds  long  in 
abeyance,  or  to  hang  up  unsolved  questions.  It  was  a  fine  arrangement  of  Providence 
that  connected  with  them  this  accomplished  philologian,  who  far  outstripped  them  in 
Biblical  learning,  as  they  were  not  reluctant  to  acknowledge,  and  whose  doubts  and 
misgivings,  as  Baxter  said  of  Sir  Matthew  Hale's,  were  as  valuable  as  other  men's 
arguments.  All  students  who  were  fond  of  exegetical  study,  and  knew  how  to  ask 
questions,  highly  appreciated  the  teaching,  as  they  could  not  but  honor  the  scholar- 
ship and  Christian  excellence,  of  Professor  Gibbs. 

"  Dr.  Goodrich  had  a  greater  variety  of  accomplishments  than  either  of  his  associates. 
He  was  a  discriminating  and  sound  theologian  ;  he  was  a  cultured  man,  and  versed  in 
literature  ;  he  took  into  view  the  manifold  interests  and  undertakings  of  the  church ;  he 
had  an  enthusiasm  of  character,  a  contagious  fervor,  that  never  grew  cool ;  and, 
besides  these  qualities,  he  was  possessed  of  a  practical  tact,  a  power  of  finding  means 
for  ends,  a  readiness  and  shrewdness  which,  in  connection  with  his  familiarity  with  the 
world  of  men,  his  self-denying  benevolence,  and  his  catholic  spirit,  qualified  him  to 
render  services  to  the  institution  for  which  his  colleagues  were  less  competent.  Had 
he  been  bred  in  the  Roman  Catholic  church  at  a  former  day,  he  would  have  been  the 
general  of  an  order,  superintending  its  missionaries  with  unselfish  zeal  in  the  remotest 
parts  of  the  globe,  and  making  his  power  felt  in  the  cabinets  of  rulers." 

About  the  time  that  the  movement  was  made  for  the  establishment  of  the  theological 
department,  measures  were  also  taken  to  build  a  new  chapel.  The  old  chapel,  which 
was  finished  in  1 763,  had  long  been  found  to  be  insufficient  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  college  community.  The  new  chapel  was  so  constructed  as  to  provide  a  large 
room  for  the  college  library,  and  also  study-rooms  for  the  use  of  the  theological 
students.  It  was  dedicated  November  17,  1824.  The  interior  of  the  old  chapel 
was  remodeled  so  as  to  furnish  recitation-rooms  and  rooms  for  the  libraries  which 
belonged  to  the  different  literary  societies. 

In  18 19,  a  new  debating  society  was  established.  A  difficulty  had  arisen  in  the 
"Linonian  Society,"  in  which  was  a  large  number  of  students  from  the  Southern 
States,  with  regard  to  the  election  of  a  president.  The  candidate  of  the  "Southern  " 
party  was  defeated,  whereupon  thirty-two  persons  withdrew  from  "  Linonia  "  and  from 
"The  Brothers,"  and  formed  a  society  of  the  same  general  character,  to  which  they 
gave  the  name  of  "  Calliope."  It  was  also  known  as  the  "  Calliopean  Society."  The 
founders  were  nearly  all  from  the  Southern  States,  and  the  society  ever  after  drew  its 
members  principally  from  that  section  of  the  country. 

In  1 82 1  a  society  of  a  different  description  was  formed  by  Professor  Kingsley,  which 
for  many  years  had  a  marked  influence  upon  the  literary  character  of  the  college.  It 
was  called  the  "  Chi  Delta  Theta,"  and  was  composed  of  some  twenty  to  thirty  of  the 
members  of  the  Senior  class,  who  were  admitted  annually  by  election,  and  thus  honor- 


PRESIDENT  DAY.  1 3 T 

ably  distinguished  as  having  manifested,  in  the  earlier  years  of  their  college  course, 
some  special  literary  ability.  The  object  of  the  society  was  to  encourage  an  interest  in 
literature,  and  especially  in  classical  literature.  "The  exercises  consisted  of  the  read- 
ing of  essays  and  the  subsequent  discussion  of  them."  The  society  also  made  a  valu- 
able collection  of  rare  editions  of  the  works  of  classical  authors.  Professor  Kingsley 
was  the  perpetual  president,  and  attended  the  meetings  regularly. 

In  1822,  steps  were  taken,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of 
the  United  States,  for  the  establishment  of  a  second  college  in  Connecticut,  which  was 
to  be  "under  the  special  patronage  and  guardianship  of  Episcopalians;"  and  as  the 
requirement  that  all  officers  of  Yale  College,  before  entering  upon  their  duties,  should 
give  an  assent  to  the  "  Saybrook  Platform  "  was  at  the  time  made  a  matter  of  reproach, 
it  was  formally  abrogated  May,  1823.  This  requirement  had  been  for  some  time  a 
mere  matter  of  form.  It  had  been  substituted  in  1778,  on  the  accession  of  President 
Stiles,  in  place  of  a  subscription  to  President  Clap's  Test  Laws  of  1753.  Dr.  Woolsey 
says  that,  as  he  became  tutor  in  June  of  that  year,  he  was  the  first  officer  of  the  college 
who  was  not  required  by  law  to  make  the  declaration. 

In  1822,  the  college  suffered  a  severe  loss  in  the  death  of  Professor  Alexander  M. 
Fisher,  which  made  a  profound  impression  not  only  in  New  Haven,  but  throughout  the 
country.  Professor  Fisher  was  regarded  as  a  college  officer  of  great  promise.  He 
had  embarked,  on  the  1st  of  April,  in  the  packet-ship  "Albion,"  for  England,  with  the 
design  of  making  himself  acquainted  with  the  methods  of  instruction  which  were 
adopted  in  European  universities.  On  the  22d  of  April,  the  vessel  was  wrecked  not  far 
from  Kinsale,  on  the  coast  of  Ireland.  In  September  of  the  same  year,  the  Rev.  Mat- 
thew R.  Dutton,  of  Stratford,  of  the  class  of  1808,  was  elected  to  be  his  successor. 
He  commenced  his  labors  with  fair  prospects  of  success,  but  died  July  17,  1825.  Mr. 
Denison  Olmsted,  of  the  class  of  18 13,  at  that  time  a  professor  in  the  University  of 
North  Carolina,  was  then  chosen  to  fill  the  vacant  chair. 

In  1825,  principally  through  the  exertions  of  Professor  Silliman,  funds  were  raised  for 
the  purchase  of  the  "  Gibbs  Cabinet,"  which  had  been  deposited  in  the  college  in  1810. 

In  1826,  the  Hon.  David  Daggett,  a  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  State,  was 
appointed  Professor  of  Law.  He  had  recently  become  associated  with  Samuel  J. 
Hitchcock,  Esq.,  an  eminent  counselor-of-law  in  New  Haven,  as  an  instructor  in  a 
private  law-school  which  had  been  commenced  in  the  town  in  1818  by  Seth  P.  Staples, 
Esq.  Mr.  Staples,  a  few  years  after  the  opening  of  the  school,  had  obtained  the 
assistance  of  Mr.  Hitchcock  as  an  instructor,  and  he,  in  1824,  when  Mr.  Staples  left 
New  Haven  to  establish  himself  in  New  York  in  his  profession,  secured  the  services 
of  Judge  Daggett.  Shortly  after,  Judge  Daggett  was  also  chosen  to  fill  the  chair  of 
law  in  the  college.  The  school  still  maintained  its  character  as  a  private  institution, 
though  from  this  time  the  names  of  the  two  instructors  and  of  those  who  were  pursuing 
their  studies  in  it,  as  well  as  the  prospectus  of  its  course  of  study,  appeared  in  the 
annual  official  catalogue  of  the  college,  in  connection  with  those  of  the  other  pro- 
fessional schools.  But  it  was  not  till  1843  that  the  school  was  formally  placed  under 
the  control  of  the  corporation. 


I52  VALE  COLLEGE. 

In  1829,  Dr.  Nathan  Smith,  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  Medical  Department,  died, 
of  whom  Dr.  Knight  said  at  the  time,  "  It  will  be  deemed  invidious  by  no  one  to  say 
of  him  that  he  has  done  more  for  the  improvement  of  physic  and  surgery  in  New 
England  than  any  other  man." 

The  decade  from  1820  to  1830  was  a  memorable  period  in  the  history  of  the 
college.  "The  Faculty,"  as  already  intimated,  had  commenced  persistent  and  sys- 
tematic efforts  to  raise  the  standard  of  scholarship  in  the  institution.  The  requirements 
which  were  now  made  necessitated  careful  and  prolonged  work  on  the  part  of  the 
students,  to  which  they  had  not  been  accustomed.  During  all  this  period,  improved 
methods  of  recitation  were  being  introduced.  The  organization  of  the  college  in  all 
its  departments  was  becoming  more  and  more  complete.  Everything  was  being 
reduced  to  system.  The  result  of  these  changes,  in  most  respects,  was  very  satisfac- 
tory.    A  great  advance  was  made  in  the  character  of  the  instruction  given. 

But  it  could  hardly  be  expected  that  the  college  community  would  adjust  itself  to 
the  new  order  of  things  without  some  exhibition  of  discontent.  It  is  well  known  that 
there  is  no  conservatism  like  that  manifested  by  students  with  regard  to  any  innova- 
tions on  the  established  order  of  things  which  affect  what  they  suppose  to  be  their 
rights.  Accordingly,  on  two  occasions,  there  was  a  combination  among  them  of  large 
numbers,  and  a  manifestation  of  open  opposition  on  their  part,  which  for  a  time  seemed 
to  threaten  serious  consequences. 

There  is  danger  of  exaggerating  the  importance  of  such  outbreaks  in  the  eyes  of 
those  who  are  not  acquainted  with  the  character  of  a  college  community,  if  any  attempt 
is  made  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  the  circumstances  attending  them ;  yet,  as  they 
were  the  occasion  of  a  striking  vindication  of  the  authority  of  the  Faculty  of  the 
college,  which  had  a  permanent  influence  upon  its  history,  it  may  be  worth  while  to 
run  the  risk.  Some  things,  also,  connected  with  these  occurrences,  have  a  ludicrous 
aspect,  and  an  account  of  them  may  be  found  to  lighten  somewhat  the  severe  and 
monotonous  character  which  attaches  itself  to  the  descriptions  of  ordinary  scholastic 
life  to  which  we  have  thus  far  been  obliged  to  confine  ourselves. 

It  has  already  been  said  that  before  the  time  of  President  Day  the  administration  of 
the  affairs  of  the  college  was  of  a  paternal  character,  and  depended,  in  great  measure, 
on  the  personal  influence  of  the  President,  resulting  from  personal  contact  with  the 
students.  But  with  the  changes  which  have  been  described,  and  with  the  increase  in 
the  number  of  the  students,  such  a  state  of  things  as  existed  during  the  presidency  of 
Dr.  Dwight  was  no  longer  possible.  Perhaps,  if  that  eminent  man  had  been  still  alive 
to  control  the  students  with  his  imposing  presence,  and  to  inspire  them,  by  means  of 
his  marvelous  and  sympathetic  eloquence,  with  a  feeling  of  the  value  of  the  particular 
studies  they  were  pursuing  and  the  methods  of  instruction  it  was  now  thought  best  to 
introduce,  the  process  of  adjustment  to  the  new  state  of  things  might  have  proceeded 
without  any  unpleasant  friction.  Even  as  it  was,  the  ability  of  the  Faculty,  as  a  whole, 
was  so  unquestioned,  and  the  reputation  for  scholarship  of  the  individual  members  of  it 
was  so  high,  that,  in  general,  little  difficulty  was  found  by  them  in  securing  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  their  classes,  and  their  conformity  to  the  new  regulations.     But  this 


PRESIDENT  DAY.  ! 3 3 

was  not  so  in  all  cases.  It  must  be  confessed,  also,  that  the  methods  of  instruction 
which  are  now  so  familiar,  by  means  of  which  the  interest  of  the  scholar  is  awakened 
even  in  studies  which  are  in  their  nature  dry  and  technical,  were  then  to  a  great 
degree  unknown.  The  study  of  "  Conic  Sections,"  for  instance,  was  exceedingly 
unpopular ;  partly  for  the  reason  that  the  student  was  not  sufficiently  enlightened  as  to 
the  value  of  it  as  an  application  of  geometry  to  the  solution  of  some  very  important 
problems  in  science.  The  zeal  of  the  average  student  can  hardly  be  expected  to  be 
kindled  by  what,  without  explanation,  seems  to  him  little  better  than  an  unmeaning 
geometrical  puzzle.  Even  in  the  study  of  the  classics  less  was  done  than  at  present  to 
illustrate  the  work  which  was  being  read  by  references  to  contemporary  history,  or  to 
show  its  connection  with  the  progress  of  literature. 

In  such  a  state  of  things,  perhaps  it  was  natural  that  there  should  be  a  portion  of  the 
students  who  were  disposed  to  look  with  great  dissatisfaction  upon  the  attempts  which 
were  made  to  exact  from  them,  day  by  day,  more  and  more  of  such  laborious  study  as 
we  have  described.  The  opinion,  too,  began  to  gain  currency  among  this  class  of  per- 
sons that  the  new  requirements  were  unnecessary,  and  a  feeling  of  antagonism  was 
developed  among  the  more  excitable  and  those  inclined  to  be  less  studious,  so  that,  at 
last,  even  in  the  case  of  those  instructors  who  were  seeking  to  awaken  the  interest  of 
the  students,  the  measures  adopted  by  them  were  not  appreciated,  and  even  in  some 
cases  were  resented  as  a  novel  and  meddlesome  interference. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  students  who  were  disaffected  began  to  give  expression  to 
their  feelings  by  petty  and  sometimes  by  more  serious  attempts  to  annoy  those  officers 
of  the  college  who  had  particularly  excited  their  indignation.  The  windows  of  these 
officers  were  broken.  The  doors  of  their  apartments  were  locked  upon  them.  Can- 
non-balls were  rolled  down  the  stairs  near  their  rooms.  The  chapel  and  the  recitation- 
rooms  were  damaged  by  explosions  of  gunpowder.  In  the  attempts  which  were  now 
made  to  put  a  stop  to  mischief  of  this  kind,  it  became  necessary  for  the  Faculty  to 
administer  a  severer  discipline  than  had  been  usual,  which  proved  a  new  incentive  to 
insubordination. 

All  this  occurred  at  a  time  when  complaints  were  becoming  quite  general  outside  of 
the  college  walls,  among  the  Philistines  of  the  period,  of  the  unprofitable  nature  of  the 
studies  which  the  students  were  required  to  pursue.  It  was  at  a  time  when  the  news- 
papers of  the  day  and  many  of  the  so-called  reformers  in  education  were  loudly  decry- 
ing the  study  of  the  "dead  languages."  Demands  were  being  made  very  similar  to 
those  which  may  be  heard  in  some  quarters  even  at  the  present  day,  that  the  course  of 
study  should  be  altered  to  suit  what  were  called  "the  practical  wants  of  the  times." 
So  great  was  this  clamor,  and  such  was  the  state  of  feeling  developed  in  many  sections 
of  the  country,  that  some  of  the  younger  and  weaker  institutions  of  learning  were 
yielding  to  the  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon  them,  and  making  the  changes  which 
were  so  loudly  demanded. 

There  was  no  question  among  the  members  of  the  corporation  of  the  college  that 
classical  learning  must  ever  form  an  essential  part  of  any  education  which  can  be 
denominated  liberal.      The  traditions  of  the  college  were  also  all  in  favor  of  the  highest 


!34  YALE  COLLEGE. 

practicable  grade  of  attainment  in  them.  Rut  some  action  seemed  to  be  called  for  at 
this  time  from  them  as  the  representatives  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  largest  of  the 
colleges  of  the  country,  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  this  clamor  and  reassuring  the 
friends  of  the  higher  education.  Accordingly,  as  a  convenient  method  of  bringing 
their  views  before  the  public,  the  corporation  appointed  a  committee,  September  11, 
1827,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  consideration  the  subject  of  altering  the  curriculum 
of  study  in  the  college.  This  committee,  as  might  have  been  expected,  reported  that, 
in  their  opinion,  it  was  inexpedient  to  alter  the  course  so  as  to  leave  out  the  study  of 
the  ancient  languages.  This  report  was  published,  together  with  a  statement  of  the 
advantages  to  be  derived  by  a  study  of  the  classics,  prepared  by  Professor  Kingsley, 
and  a  defense  of  the  course  of  instruction  pursued  in  the  college,  written  by  President 
Day.  It  might  be  well  if  a  new  edition  of  this  report  could  be  reprinted  for  general 
circulation. 

President  Day  stated  that  the  object  of  the  system  of  instruction  in  the  college  is 
"to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  superior  education."  He  says:  "It  is  not  to  give  a  partial 
education,  consisting  of  a  few  branches  only,  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  to  give  a  super- 
ficial education,  containing  a  little  of  almost  everything,  nor  to  finish  the  details  of 
either  a  professional  or  practical  education  ;  but  to  commence  a  thorough  course,  and 
to  carry  it  as  far  as  the  time  of  the  student's  residence  will  allow." 

It  may  not  prove  unadvisable  to  transfer  to  these  pages  an  extract  from  what  Presi- 
dent Day  says  in  explanation  of  this  subject : 

"  The  two  great  points  to  be  gained  in  intellectual  culture  are  the  discipline  and  the  furniture  of  the  mind  ; 
expanding  its  powers,  and  storing  it  with  knowledge.  The  former  of  these  is,  perhaps,  the  more  important  of 
the  two.  A  commanding  object,  therefore,  in  a  collegiate  course,  should  be  to  call  into  daily  and  vigorous 
exercise  the  faculties  of  the  student.  Those  branches  of  study  should  be  prescribed  and  those  modes  of 
instruction  adopted  which  are  best  calculated  to  teach  the  art  of  fixing  the  attention,  directing  the  train  of 
thought,  analyzing  a  subject  proposed  for  investigation  ;  following,  with  accurate  discrimination,  the  course 
of  argument ;  balancing  nicely  the  evidence  presented  to  the  judgment  ;  awakening,  elevating,  and  controlling 
the  imagination  ;  arranging,  with  skill,  the  treasures  which  memory  gathers  ;  rousing  and  guiding  the  powers 
of  genius.  All  this  is  not  to  be  effected  by  a  light  and  hasty  course  of  study  ;  by  reading  a  few  books,  hearing 
a  few  lectures,  and  spending  some  months  at  a  literary  institution.  The  habits  of  thinking  are  to  be  formed 
by  long-continued  and  close  application.  The  mines  of  science  must  be  penetrated  far  below  the  surface 
before  they  will  disclose  their  treasures.  If  a  dexterous  performance  of  the  manual  operations  in  many  of 
the  mechanical  arts  requires  an  apprenticeship  with  diligent  attention  for  years,  much  more  does  the  training 
of  the  powers  of  the  mind  demand  vigorous,  and  steady,  and  systematic  effort." 

"  In  laying  the  foundation  of  a  thorough  education  it  is  necessary  that  all  the  important  mental  faculties  be 
brought  into  exercise.  It  is  not  sufficient  that  one  or  two  be  cultivated  while  others  are  neglected.  A  costly 
edifice  ought  not  to  be  left  to  rest  upon  a  single  pillar.  When  certain  mental  endowments  receive  a  much 
higher  culture  than  others,  there  is  a  distortion  in  the  intellectual  character.  The  mind  never  attains  its  full 
perfection  unless  its  various  powers  are  so  trained  as  to  give  them  the  fair  proportions  which  nature  designed. 
If  the  student  exercises  his  reasoning  powers  only,  he  will  be  deficient  in  imagination  and  taste,  in  fervid  and 
impressive  eloquence.  If  he  confines  his  attention  to  demonstrative  evidence,  he  will  be  unfitted  to  decide 
correctly  in  cases  of  probability.  If  he  relies  principally  on  his  memory,  his  powers  of  invention  will  be 
impaired  by  disuse.  In  the  course  of  instruction  in  this  college  it  has  been  an  object  to  maintain  such  a 
proportion  between  the  different  branches  of  literature  and  science  as  to  form  in  the  student  a  proper  balance 


PRESIDENT  DA  Y.  x  3  5 

of  character.  From  the  pure  mathematics  lie  learns  the  art  of  demonstrative  reasoning.  In  attending  to  the 
physical  sciences  he  becomes  familiar  with  facts,  with  the  process  of  induction,  and  the  varieties  of  probable 
evidence.  In  ancient  literature  he  finds  some  of  the  most  finished  models  of  taste.  By  English  reading  he 
learns  the  powers  of  the  language  in  which  he  is  to  speak  and  write.  By  logic  and  mental  philosophy  he  is 
taught  the  art  of  thinking ;  by  rhetoric  and  oratory  the  art  of  speaking.  By  frequent  exercise  on  written  com- 
position he  acquires  copiousness  and  accuracy  of  expression.  By  extemporaneous  discussion  he  becomes 
prompt,  and  fluent,  and  animated.  It  is  a  point  of  high  importance  that  eloquence  and  solid  learning  should 
go  together ;  that  he  who  has  accumulated  the  richest  treasures  of  thought  should  possess  the  highest  powers 
of  oratory.  To  what  purpose  has  a  man  become  deeply  learned,  if  he  has  no  faculty  of  communicating  his 
knowledge?  And  of  what  use  is  a  display  of  rhetorical  elegance  from  one  who  knows  little  or  nothing  which 
is  worth  communicating?  ' Est  enim  scieniia  comprehendenda  rerum  plurimarum,  sine  qua  verborum  volubilitas 
inanis  atque  irridenda  est.' — Cicero.  Our  course,  therefore,  aims  at  a  union  of  science  with  literature,  of  solid 
attainment  with  skill  in  the  art  of  persuasion." 

******* 

"  No  one  feature  in  a  system  of  intellectual  education  is  of  greater  moment  than  such  an  arrangement  of 
duties  and  motives  as  will  most  effectually  throw  the  student  upon  the  resources  of  his  own  mind.  Without 
this,  the  whole  apparatus  of  libraries,  and  instruments,  and  specimens,  and  lectures,  and  teachers,  will  be 
insufficient  to  secure  distinguished  excellence.  The  scholar  must  form  himself  by  his  own  exertions.  The 
advantages  furnished  by  a  residence  at  a  college  can  do  little  more  than  stimulate  and  aid  his  personal  efforts. 
The  inventive  powers  are  especially  to  be  called  into  vigorous  exercise.  However  abundant  may  be  the 
acquisitions  of  the  student,  if  he  has  no  talent  at  forming  new  combinations  of  thought,  he  will  be  dull  and 
inefficient.  The  sublimest  efforts  of  genius  consist  in  the  creations  of  the  imagination,  the  discoveries  of  the 
intellect,  the  conquests  by  which  the  dominions  of  science  are  extended.  But  the  culture  of  the  inventive 
faculties  is  not  the  only  object  of  a  liberal  education.  The  most  gifted  understanding  cannot  greatly  enlarge 
the  amount  of  science  to  which  the  wisdom  of  ages  has  contributed.  If  it  were  possible  for  a  youth  to  have 
his  faculties  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  without  any  of  the  knowledge  which  is  derived  from  others,  he 
would  be  but  poorly  fitted  for  the  business  of  life.  To  the  discipline  of  the  mind,  therefore,  is  to  be  added 
instruction.  The  analytic  method  must  be  combined  with  the  synthetic.  Analysis  is  most  efficacious  in 
directing  the  powers  of  invention,  but  is  far  too  slow  in  its  progress  to  teach,  within  a  moderate  space  of  time, 
the  circle  of  the  sciences." 

"In  our  arrangements  for  the  communication  of  knowledge,  as  well  as  in  intellectual  discipline,  such 
branches  are  to  be  taught  as  will  produce  a  proper  symmetry  and  balance  of  character.  We  doubt  whether 
the  powers  of  the  mind  can  be  developed  in  their  fairest  proportions  by  studying  languages  alone,  or  mathe- 
matics alone,  or  natural  or  political  science  alone.  As  the  bodily  frame  is  brought  to  its  highest  perfection, 
not  by  one  simple  and  uniform  motion,  but  by  a  variety  of  exercises,  so  the  mental  faculties  are  expanded 
and  invigorated,  and  adapted  to  each  other  by  familiarity  with  different  departments  of  science." 

But  before  this  report  was  published,  and  while  the  matter  was  still  under  the  con- 
sideration of  the  committee,  a  conflict  had  arisen  within  the  walls  of  the  college. 
There  was  at  this  time  an  unusually  large  number  of  students  from  distant  parts  of  the 
country.  In  the  absence  of  those  facilities  for  speedy  communication  with  their  homes 
which  are  now  so  universal,  they  were  peculiarly  exposed  to  be  carried  away  by  sudden 
gusts  of  passion.  The  large  number  of  students  now  assembled,  and  the  feeling  of 
strength  which  it  gave  them,  added  to  the  difficulty.  The  great  body  of  the  students 
were  undoubtedly  disposed  to  submit  to  all  college  regulations,  but  in  the  state  of 
mind  in  which  some  of  them  were,  any  accident  was  sufficient  to  arouse  a  combative 
feeling,  which  was  liable,  under  the  influence  of  the  quick  sympathy  which  exists 
among  students,  to  spread  to  the  whole  body. 


136  VALE  COLL  AVE. 

The  college  "commons"  had  been  from  time  immemorial  a  subject  of  complaint 
among  the  students.  The  difficulty  of  satisfying  the  capricious  appetites  of  a  large 
number  of  young  men  of  different  early  habits  and  tastes  is  apparent.  But  it  was 
then  one  of  the  cherished  traditions  of  the  institution  that  it  was  important  that  the 
entire  college  community  should  live  in  this  way.  Accordingly,  all  the  students  except 
those  whose  parents  lived  in  New  Haven  were  compelled  to  board  "  in  commons." 
The  older  officers  of  the  college  were  not  present  at  the  meals.  The  preservation  of 
good  order  was  left  entirely  to  the  tutors.  One  of  the  results  of  this  gathering  of  the 
whole  body  of  the  students,  three  times  a  day,  on  an  occasion  when  they  were  natur- 
ally led  to  exercise  their  critical  faculty  upon  what  was  provided  for  them,  was  that  it 
furnished  an  almost  irresistible  temptation  to  indulge  in  mirthful  pranks.  One  sum- 
mary method  of  exhibiting  their  condemnation  of  any  particular  article  of  food  was 
that  of  throwing  it  out  of  the  window.  There  Was  no  great  hesitation  on  such  occa- 
sions in  breaking  plates  and  other  crockery.  Sometimes  when  the  beef  or  the  mutton 
did  not  suit  their  tastes,  there  were  quite  successful  imitations  of  the  natural  sounds  of 
the  different  animals,  of  whom  they  were  thus  reminded. 

In  the  summer  of  1828,  after  the  Senior  class  had  left,  as  was  customary,  for  their 
vacation,  there  was  an  unusual  amount  of  complaint  made  of  the  food  provided  by  the 
steward.  Various  representations  of  their  dissatisfaction  were  now  made  by  solemn 
deputations  appointed  by  each  of  the  three  classes.  Those  representations  procured 
no  change  in  the  bill  of  fare.  At  last  it  was  felt  that  their  grievances  could  be  borne  no 
longer,  and  a  meeting  was  called  at  which  fiery  speeches  were  made,  and  it  was  finally 
agreed  that  the  whole  body  of  the  students  should  refuse  to  go  into  the  Hall  until  the 
change  requested  was  made.  At  a  subsequent  meeting,  a  committee  was  appointed  for 
the  purpose  of  informing  the  Faculty  of  the  resolution  to  which  they  had  come.  The 
committee  was  received  by  President  Day  in  his  usual  quiet  manner,  who  informed 
them  that  no  attention  could  be  paid  to  their  complaints  as  long  as  they  were  in  a 
state  of  rebellion,  but  that,  on  their  return  to  their  duty,  the  matter  would  be  consid- 
ered. At  once  another  meeting  of  the  whole  body  of  students  was  called,  at  which 
it  was  declared  that  they  had  repeatedly  made  representations  of  their  grievances  and 
been  promised  relief,  but  there  had  been  no  permanent  improvement.  Such  being  the 
case,  they  could  not  now  yield  to  the  demands  made  upon  them  "without  a  sacrifice 
of  their  self-respect,  their  dignity,  and  their  duty  to  each  other;"  so  they  reaffirmed 
their  refusal  to  go  into  the  Hall.  The  next  day  four  of  the  students  who  had  made 
themselves  particularly  conspicuous  in  the  matter  were  summoned  before  the  Faculty 
and  asked  if  they  would  submit  to  the  regulations  of  the  college  and  go  into  com- 
mons. On  their  declining,  they  were  expelled  on  the  spot.  The  excitement  among  the 
students  now  reached  its  climax.  The  utmost  sympathy  was  expressed  for  the  four 
who  had  thus  suffered  in  behalf  of  the  common  cause  ;  they  were  honored  as  martyrs. 
A  meeting  was  held  in  the  open  air,  in  what  is  now  Hillhouse  avenue,  in  which  a  vale- 
dictory address  was  delivered  by  one  of  the  four  who  had  been  expelled,  and  after 
other  exercises  of  a  somewhat  melodramatic  character,  in  which  "they  pledged  them- 
selves to  deathless  friendship,  and  to  stand  by  each  other  in  future  life,"  a  procession 


PRESIDENT  DAY.  x 3 y 

was  formed  which  proceeded  to  the  college  "  Green,"  and  there,  in  the  darkness  of  the 
night,  kneeling  on  the  turf  in  a  great  circle  and  joining  hands,  they  sang  a  parting 
hymn,  written  for  the  occasion,  to  the  tune  of  "  Auld  lang  syne."  In  this  way,  "with 
deep  emotion  and  tears,"  they  took  leave  of  one  another,  and,  "by  the  next  day,  the 
college  had  resumed  a  quietness  beyond  its  wont,  with  a  mere  handful  of  remaining 
students." 

A  few  weeks  at  home  cooled  the  excited  feelings  of  the  malcontents  to  such  an 
extent  that  most  of  them  were  ready  to  make  application  that  they  might  be  permitted 
to  resume  their  places  in  college.  The  Faculty  thereupon  caused  it  to  be  under- 
stood that  if  any  individual — the  four  persons  who  were  expelled  being  excepted — 
should  come  back,  acknowledge  his  fault,  and  sign  a  pledge  that  he  would  henceforth 
submit  to  the  laws  of  the  institution  so  long  as  he  remained  a  member  of  it,  he  would 
probably  be  received.  On  these  conditions,  nearly  all  who  had  been  concerned  in  the 
difficulty  returned,  and  soon  peace  and  quiet  once  more  reigned  within  the  walls  of  the 
college.  "  We  were  all  glad  to  get  back  to  our  college  course,"  says  one  of  their  num- 
ber, in  answer  to  an  inquiry  recently  made  of  him,  "upon  a  confession  and  promise 
that  my  conscience  at  least  told  me  was  a  very  mild  punishment  of  a  very  serious 
offense.     I  have  never  since  had  the  least  patience  with  college  rebellions." 

Such  was  the  termination  of  the  "  Bread  and  Butter  Rebellion,"  as  it  was  called  ;  a 
rebellion  unprecedented  in  the  history  of  the  college.  There  was  undoubtedly  some 
reason  in  the  complaints  which  were  made  by  the  students.  But  with  the  college 
organized  in  rebellion,  it  was  felt  by  "the  Faculty"  that  there  was  no  alternative  for 
them  but  to  vindicate  their  authority  or  place  themselves  henceforth  at  the  mercy  of 
the  students. 

But  the  failure  of  the  "  Bread  and  Butter  Rebellion  "  was  not  enough  to  teach  the 
college  community  that  the  Faculty  would  not  be  coerced  by  any  combination  formed 
among  the  students.  It  was  not  long  before  a  second  conflict  arose,  which  is  known 
as  the  "  Conic  Sections  Rebellion." 

In  1830,  certain  requirements  had  been  made  of  the  Sophomore  class,  to  which  they 
showed  great  unwillingness  to  submit.  On  several  occasions  there  was  a  refusal  by  a 
part  of  them  to  perform  exercises  which  had  been  appointed.  The  Faculty  were  dis- 
posed at  first  to  try  mild  measures,  and  the  omitted  recitations  were  made  up.  But, 
at  last,  after  there  had  been  several  interruptions  of  the  kind,  the  class  were  distinctly 
informed  that  while  respectful  representations  of  their  wishes  would  be  listened  to, 
nothing  would  be  conceded  to  the  demands  of  any  combination  formed  among  them. 
They  were,  also,  reminded  that  if  any  student  was  not  satisfied  with  the  regulations 
of  the  college,  the  way  was  open  for  him  to  leave,  and  the  promise  was  made  that  on 
application  he  should  have  an  honorable  dismission.  At  last,  in  July,  when  the  class 
were  about  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  Conic  Sections,  they  petitioned  that  the  method 
of  recitation  required  by  the  college  might  be  changed  ;  that  they  might  "  explain 
Conic  Sections  from  the  book,  and  not  demonstrate  them  from  the  figures."  On  this 
petition  being  refused,  a  portion  of  the  class  assembled  and  agreed  to  refuse  to  recite 
in  the  way  prescribed.  At  the  next  recitation,  while  some  complied  with  the  regula- 
vol.  1. — 18 


I38  YALE  COLLEGE. 

tions,  nine  persons  refused.  It  being  apparent  that  there  was  a  combination  to  resist 
the  demands  of  the  Faculty,  the  recitations  of  the  class  for  the  rest  of  the  day  were 
suspended  that  time  might  lie  given  to  its  members  to  make  up  their  minds  whether 
they  would  give  up  their  attitude  of  resistance.  The  next  day  a  paper  was  sent  to  the 
Faculty,  with  the  names  of  about  forty  members  of  the  class  appended,  in  which  they 
stated  that  they  should  all  have  refused  to  recite  in  the  same  way  as  the  nine,  and  that 
they  wished  to  have  it  understood  that  they  considered  themselves  obnoxious  to  the 
same  punishment.  After  the  delay  of  a  day  or  two,  it  being  suspected  by  the  students 
that  the  Faculty  were  about  to  proceed  to  dismiss  some  of  their  number,  another  paper 
was  presented,  signed  by  forty-two  members  of  the  class,  in  which  they  repeated  their 
statement  that  the  nine  who  refused  to  recite  acted  in  accordance  with  their  request, 
and  that  they  should  all  have  done  the  same ;  that  "  their  resolution  was  taken  ;  they 
would  not  retract ;  and  that  they  would  obey  no  summons  to  appear  individually 
before  the  Faculty."  Upon  this,  to  their  surprise,  the  authorities  of  the  college,  instead 
of  further  parleying  with  them,  promptly  announced  that  their  connection  with  the 
college  was  now  terminated  by  their  own  action.  Thus  the  forty-four  disaffected  mem- 
bers of  the  class  were  at  once  summarily  cut  off  from  all  opportunity  to  make  further 
disturbance. 

This  action  of  the  Faculty  was  regarded  at  the  time  by  the  authorities  of  the  other 
colleges  of  the  country  to  have  such  an  important  relation  to  the  maintenance  of  disci- 
pline in  all  similar  institutions,  that,  with  only  a  few  exceptions,  they  supplemented  it 
by  a  refusal  to  receive  under  their  charge  any  of  the  "  forty-four." 

With  such  a  disastrous  termination  of  what  was  called  the  "  Conic  Sections  Rebel- 
lion," all  open  and  concerted  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  students  ceased.  Nothing 
of  the  kind  has  ever  been  attempted  since.  Such  firmness  and  decision  were  mani- 
fested at  the  time  by  the  Faculty,  that  all  such  combinations  to  resist  their  authority 
were  seen  to  be  useless.  It  is  perhaps  too  much  to  say  that  there  was  not  for 
some  years  a  leaven  of  the  same  rebellious  spirit  still  left  in  the  college ;  but  a  new 
generation  of  students  began  to  comprehend  the  nature  and  object  of  the  requirements 
of  the  Faculty,  and  to  understand  that  mental  discipline  is  to  be  obtained  only  by  hard 
work.  It  was  not  long,  also,  before  one  of  those  seasons  of  religious  interest  com- 
menced in  the  college  which  have  been  not  unusual  ever  since  the  opening  of  the 
century.  This  was  in  183 1,  and  the  effects  of  it  upon  the  whole  college  community 
have  never  been  surpassed.  One  conspicuous  result  was  that  it  served  as  the  occasion 
of  bringing  the  officers  and  the  students  of  the  institution  to  a  better  understanding, 
and  from  this  time  the  college  entered  upon  a  new  era. 

It  has  already  been  intimated  that  there  is  danger,  in  the  case  of  those  who  are  not 
acquainted  with  a  college  community,  that  an  erroneous  impression  will  be  gained,  if 
any  description  is  attempted  of  such  difficulties  as  were  experienced  in  the  academical 
department  of  the  college,  during  the  decade  from  1820  to  1830.  It  should  therefore 
be  stated  explicitly  that  the  difficulties  which  followed  the  attempts  of  the  Faculty  to 
raise  the  standard  of  scholarship,  and  to  exact  continuous  work  from  the  students,  were 
confined  to  only  a   portion   of  them.      In   the   case   of  the  larger   number  more   was 


PRESIDENT  DAY.  I39 

accomplished  undoubtedly  in  these  years  than  had  ever  been  known  before  in  the 
history  of  the  college.  The  names  of  those  who  were  then  undergraduates,  who  have 
since  become  distinguished  scholars,  is  sufficient  proof  of  this,  if  any  proof  were 
needed. 

But  during  these  same  years  there  was  a  degree  of  special  interest  in  study  in  the 
Theological  Department  which  deserves  to  be  spoken  of.  The  enthusiasm  manifested 
by  the  young  men  who  had  been  attracted  by  the  reputation  of  Dr.  Taylor,  the  Profes- 
sor of  Didactic  Theology,  was  something  unprecedented.  Much  was  anticipated  from 
him  when  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office.  As  a  preacher  he  had  been 
unrivaled  for  his  success  in  carrying  conviction  to  the  minds  of  his  hearers.  As  a 
theologian  he  was  thoroughly  versed  in  all  the  views  of  the  great  masters  of  the 
New  England  theology — the  elder  Edwards,  Bellamy,  Hopkins,  the  younger  Edwards, 
Smalley,  Emmons,  Dwight.  In  ability  he  was  not  inferior  to  any  one  of  them. 
Brought  up  as  he  had  been  under  such  teachers,  it  was  a  necessity  of  his  being  that  he 
should  think  for  himself  on  all  the  great  questions  which  affect  man's  relation  to  God, 
and  man's  destiny  hereafter.  In  doing  this  he  had  elaborated  a  theological  system, 
"symmetrical,  compact,  complete;  ascending  from  the  first  axioms  of  mental  science  to 
the  topmost  doctrines  of  revelation."  This  he  had  been  led  to  do  not  so  much  from 
any  special  interest  in  recondite  speculation,  as  from  a  desire  to  be  able  to  present 
Christian  truth,  as  a  preacher,  in  such  a  way  as  to  meet  all  the  difficulties  which  could 
arise  in  the  minds  of  his  hearers,  and  leave  them  without  excuse  for  not  accepting  the 
offers  of  the  gospel.  This  system  it  was  that  he  made  it  his  business  to  illustrate  and 
teach,  and  he  did  it  with  the  most  absolute  confidence  that  it  was  the  very  truth  of 
God.  He  did  not  ask  his  pupils  to  accept  his  views  on  his  authority.  He  himself 
called  no  man  master ;  and  he  encouraged  them,  by  precept  and  example,  to  be 
thoroughly  independent  thinkers.  The  aim,  too,  which  he  kept  ever  in  view,  was  to 
make  his  pupils  powerful  preachers,  able  to  bring  men  to  repentance.  The  enthusiasm 
and  the  confidence  which  he  manifested  were  speedily  reflected  in  those  who  came 
under  his  instructions.  Such  was  the  interest  excited  among  them  that  reports  of  his 
views  soon  began  to  be  widely  circulated  outside  the  walls  of  his  lecture-room. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  any  innovation  on  the  traditional  methods  of  presenting 
religious  truth  should  awaken  opposition.  In  1828,  Dr.  Taylor  was  invited  to  preach  a 
cohcw  ad  clenini.  In  his  sermon  on  that  occasion  he  set  forth  views  respecting  the 
doctrine  of  sin  which  in  some  quarters  were  regarded  as  heretical.  At  once  the  alarm 
was  taken,  and  his  theological  views  were  stigmatized  as  "Taylorism."  For  years  he 
and  his  associates,  who  agreed  with  him  substantially  in  opinion,  were  involved  in  an 
earnest  controversy.  They  defended  themselves  vigorously  through  the  pages  of  the 
Christian  Spectator ;  and  Dr.  Taylor,  at  the  time,  gained  the  reputation  of  being  an 
eager  controversialist.  But  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bacon  says  this  impression  which  went 
abroad  was  erroneous ;  controversy  was  painful  to  him.  "  He  loved  discussion  ;  his 
mind  rushed  to  an  argument  like  a  war-horse  to  the  battle ;  he  rejoiced  in  the  well- 
guarded  statement  and  strenuous  defense  of  truth ;  his  intellectual  nature  exulted  in 
the  discovery  of  a  latent  inaccuracy  ;   he  had  an  instinctive  and  ineradicable  confidence 


140 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


in  the  power  of  logic  to  convince ;  but  controversy,  with  its  personal  alienations,  its 
exasperating  imputations,  and  its  too  frequent  appeals  to  prejudice  and  passion,  was 
what  his  soul  abhorred." 

The  result  of  the  efforts  which  were  made  to  shake  the  confidence  of  the  Christian 
public  in  Dr.  Taylor  showed  that  the  more  he  was  denounced  the  larger  was  the  num- 
ber of  enthusiastic  pupils  who  gathered  around  him  to  receive  his  instructions;  and 
soon,  by  means  of  them  and  his  articles  in  the  Christian  Spectator,  his  views  had 
affected,  more  or  less,  the  theology  of  all  the  Christian  denominations  of  the  country. 

The  latter  part  of  this  same  decade,  from  1820  to  1830,  was  rendered  memorable, 
also,  by  the  commencement  among  the  students  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  an 
interest  in  missionary  operations  in  the  new  States  of  the  West,  which  was  to  be  a 
marked  feature  in  that  department  of  the  institution,  and  to  be  maintained  with  little 
abatement  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

In  1825,  the  Erie  Canal  had  been  completed;  and  about  the  same  time  it  began  to 
be  perceived  that  steam  could  be  applied  with  advantage  to  the  navigation  of  the  great 
lakes  and  rivers  of  the  interior.  At  once  the  whole  country  had  awakened  to  the 
realization  of  the  fact  that,  under  the  new  system  of  intercommunication,  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi  was  to  become  available  for  settlement ;  and  that  there  was  every 
prospect  of  its  soon  being  the  home  of  a  vast  population.  The  religious  enthusiasm 
of  the  churches  at  the  East  was  speedily  aroused;  and  it  was  felt  that  all  the  institu- 
tions of  a  Christian  people  must  be  planted  in  the  States  which  were  soon  to  become 
so  important,  and  have  such  an  influence  on  the  rest  of  the  Union.  As  the  result  of 
this  feeling,  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  had  been  formed,  whose  object 
was  to  establish  clergymen  in  the  cities  and  towns  which  were  springing  up  west  of 
the  Alleghanies.  Nowhere  was  there  stronger  sympathy  with  this  feeling  than  among 
the  students  of  the  Theological  Department  of  the  college.  In  1828  there  was  organ- 
ized among  them  an  association,  consisting  of  fourteen  members,  who  proposed  to 
establish  themselves  in  the  State  of  Illinois.  Other  missionaries  had  preceded  them 
to  this  State,  but  this  was  the  first  organized  association  which  went  from  the  East 
with  the  distinct  purpose  of  engaging  there  in  concert  in  special  efforts  for  a  particular 
State. 

Dr.  Sturtevant,  one  of  their  number,  says  :  "  A  more  fervent  faith  in  the  truth  and 
certain  triumph  of  the  gospel  has  seldom  existed  in  modern  times  than  in  the  young 
men  under  Dr.  Taylor's  instruction.  There  was  much  in  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the 
Seminary  at  that  time  to  favor  and  promote  bold  and  self-sacrificing  religious  enter- 
prises. Those  who  distrusted  Dr.  Taylor's  teachings  feared  that  he  was  undermining 
fundamental  Christianity.  The  impression  he  made  on  his  pupils  was  exactly  the 
reverse  of  this.  The  enlightened  and  thoughtful  that  were  feeling  the  influence  of  his 
teaching  found  themselves  happily  relieved  from  many  philosophical  difficulties  with 
which  the  gospel  had  before  seemed  to  them  embarrassed  and  impeded.  They  were 
raised  to  a  fervent  and  undoubting  faith,  which  they  had  not  before  experienced,  in 
its  truth,  its  capability  of  being  successfully  defended,  and  its  power  to  overcome 
obstacles  and  save  our  country  and  the  world."     One  of  the   results   accomplished  by 


PRESIDENT  DAY. 


I4I 


this  "Illinois  Association,"  as  it  was  called,  was  the  establishment  of  Illinois  College. 
They  co-operated,  also,  in  founding  numerous  churches  "  that  stand  out  at  the  present 
time  among  the  most  conspicuous  in  the  State  and  in  the  West  for  their  widely 
extended  and  beneficial  influence."  They  powerfully  advocated  popular  education  ; 
and  exerted  no  small  influence  in  bringing  into  being  the  public  school  system  with 
which  the  State  is  now  blessed.  Dr.  Sturtevant  says  of  these  men  :  "  They  claim  for 
themselves  no  exclusive  credit.  They  were  but  a  handful  among  the  multitudes  that 
have  followed  their  steps,  and  have  taken  efficient  part  in  the  good  work.  But  they 
did  lead  the  way  ;  they  did  originate  the  conception  to  which  we  have  worked,  and 
plant  some  seeds  at  the  right  time,  and  in  the  right  place,  which  are  yielding,  and  will 
long  yield  a  blessed  harvest." 

As  previously  mentioned,  the  influence  of  the  "  Illinois  Association  "  was  long  to  be 
felt  among  the  students  of  the  Theological  School.  During  the  whole  life  of  Dr. 
Taylor,  a  large  proportion  of  every  class,  moved  by  the  example  of  these  pioneers 
in  home  missions,  continued  to  follow  in  the  path  which  they  had  marked  out.  It 
would  be  useless  to  attempt  to  estimate  the  value  of  their  services,  but  so  numerous 
through  all  the  States  of  the  North-West  are  the  students  of  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary, that,  with  the  other  alumni  of  the  college  who  have  established  themselves 
in  the  same  region,  they  make  a  constituency  enthusiastic  in  their  grateful  loyalty 
to  their  alma  mater,  which  has  helped  to  make  Yale  a  truly  national  institution  of 
learning. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  year  1831  was,  in  many  respects,  the  commence- 
ment of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  college.  In  this  year  the  Professorship  of 
Languages,  which  had  been  held  by  Professor  Kingsley  for  twenty-six  years,  was 
divided.  Professor  Kingsley  remained  Professor  of  the  Latin  Language  and  Liter- 
ature, and  Mr.  Theodore  D.  Woolsey,  of  the  class  of  1820,  was  elected  Professor  of 
the  Greek  Language  and  Literature.  Mr.  Woolsey  had  been  a  tutor  in  the  college 
from  1823  to  1825,  and  had  afterwards  spent  three  years  in  Europe,  from  1827  to 
1830,  where  he  had  engaged  in  various  studies  by  which  he  had  well  prepared  himself 
for  the  duties  which  now  devolved  upon  him.  A  new  interest  in  classical  literature 
was  at  once  awakened  among  the  students  by  this  advent  of  an  additional  professor  in 
that  department — an  interest  which  continued  unabated  as  long  as  he  remained  an 
instructor  in  Greek.  Professor  Woolsey  soon  published  editions  of  several  of  the 
Greek  tragedies:  "The  Alcestis  of  Euripides,"  in  1833;  "The  Antigone  of  Sopho- 
cles," in  1835  ;  "The  Electra  of  Sophocles,"  in  1837;  "The  Prometheus  of  yEschylus," 
in  1837;  and  "The  Gorgias  of  Plato,"  in  1842.  These  tragedies  were  used  in  his 
classes  as  text-books,  and  by  thus  extending  the  acquaintance  of  the  students  with  the 
productions  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  he  did  much  to  inspire  the  whole  college  with  a 
more  refined  taste. 

In  1 83 1,  also,  Colonel  John  Trumbull  offered  to  the  college  his  series  of  paintings 
illustrative  of  the  American  Revolution,  together  with  other  paintings,  over  fifty  in 
number  in  the  aggregate.  The  corporation  proceeded  at  once  to  erect  a  suitable 
building  on  the  College  Green,  to  which  the  name  of  "Trumbull  Gallery"  was  given, 


'•I- 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


TRUMBULL   GALLERY,  A.I).    1 832. 


where,  with  the  other  art  collections  belonging  to  the  institution,  these  paintings  were 
deposited  in  1832.      The   building  was  sixty  feet  in  length  by  thirty  in  breadth.      In 

1868,  these  paintings  were  removed  to  the 
"  Art  Building,"  and  the  Trumbull  Gallery  is 
now  known  as  the  "Treasury." 

The  same  year  an  achromatic  telescope, 
having  an  aperture  of  five  inches  and  a  focal 
length  of  ten  feet,  made  by  Dollond,  of  Lon- 
don, was  presented  to  the  college  by  Mr. 
Sheldon  Clark.  To  receive  this  telescope 
the  tower  of  the  Athenaeum  was  fitted  up  as 
an  Astronomical  Observatory. 

But  while  the  college  was  thus  exhibiting 
such  gratifying  progress,  the  officers  began 
to  be  alarmed  in  consequence  of  its  financial  condition.  The  improvements  which 
were  making  all  added  to  the  annual  expenses  of  the  institution.  Though  the 
college  had  been  in  existence  since  a.d.  1701,  the  total  of  the  permanent  productive 
funds  belonging  to  the  corporation  at  this  time  was  considerably  less  than  $20,000,  and 
the  available  income  less  than  $1,500.  The  institution  was  dependent,  to  a  great 
extent,  on  the  tuition  bills  of  the  students.  To  add  to  the  alarm,  it  appeared  that  for 
two  or  three  years  the  expenses  had  exceeded  the  receipts.  It  is  amazing  that  with 
means  so  limited  such  results  had  been  accomplished  during  a  period  which  covered 
one  hundred  and  thirty  years.  In  1 83 1  an  effort  was  accordingly  made  to  raise  a 
fund  of  $100,000,  the  income  of  which  might  be  applied  to  meet  the  general  ex- 
penses of  the  college.  Such  a  fund  was  absolutely  needed,  at  that  time,  to  keep  the 
college  in  being.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three  years  the  sum  desired  was  raised, 
the  officers  of  the  college  making  liberal  contributions  towards  it  from  their  scanty 
salaries. 

Efforts  were  also  made  about  this  time  to  raise  funds  to  aid  in  the  support  of  those 
students  who  needed  assistance  in  obtaining  an  education.  It  was  a  favorite  idea  of 
President  Day  that  it  was  best  for  the  college  that  all  classes  of  the  community  should 
be  represented  within  its  walls.  "  He  had,"  Dr.  Woolsey  says,  "a  great  dread  of  a 
system  which  should  collect  the  children  of  the  wealthy  by  themselves ;  thus  forming 
a  body  proud  of  their  own  accidental  advantage,  wanting  the  stimulus  derived  from  the 
necessity  of  exertion,  and  more  exposed  to  vice  than  others.  Hence  his  desire  to  have 
funds  laid  up  for  the  assistance  of  this  class  of  students.  To  such  students,  and  to 
those  whose  parents  could  sustain  them  at  college  only  with  self-denial,  he  looked  as 
the  part  of  the  body  from  which  there  was  most  to  hope  ;  they  would  study,  would  be 
economical,  would  be  moral  and  religious.  From  them  a  healthy  tone  would  pervade 
the  community,  and  by  their  respectability  and  high  standing  the  distinctions  of 
wealth  would  be  repressed,  so  that  every  one,  of  whatever  parentage,  would  attain  to 
his  proper  level." 

In  1833,  Dr.  Alfred  E.  Perkins  of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  gave  by  will  to  the  Presi- 


PRESIDENT  DA  Y. 


*43 


dent  and  Fellows  ten  thousand  dollars,  to  be  kept  as  a  perpetual  fund,  the  interest  of 
which  was  to  be  applied  to  the  purchase  of  books  for  the  library. 

In  1836,  a  building  was  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the  theological  students. 

In  1843,  Mr.  Edward  E.  Salisbury,  an  eminent  Oriental  scholar,  was  appointed  to 
the  chair  of  Arabic  and  Sanskrit,  and  entered  at  once  upon  its  duties.  The  same  year 
a  sum  of  money  was  given  by  Isaac  H.  Townsend,  Esq.,  a  Professor  in  the  Law 
School,  as  a  foundation  for  five  premiums  to  be  awarded  annually  "  to  the  authors  in 
the  Senior  class  of  the  best  original  composition  in  the  English  language."  These 
prizes  were  given  for  the  first  time  in  1844. 

In  1844,  a  fire-proof  building  was  erected  for  the  various  libraries  connected  with  the 
college.  The  front  of  the  building  is  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  feet  in  length.  It  is 
built  of  red  sandstone,  and  its  cost  was  about  thirty  thousand  dollars. 

In    the    same    year,   Professor  Thomas  A. 
Thacher,  who  had  been   appointed  Assistant 
Professor    of   Latin    in    1842,    returned    from 
Germany,   where   he   had   been   pursuing  his 
studies  for  two  years.     Through  his  influence, 
some   marked  changes  were  gradually  intro- 
duced in  the  method  of  conducting  the  recita- 
tions in  his  department.      For  many  years   it 
had  been  customary  to  require,  in  the  main, 
only    a    correct     translation    of    the    authors 
studied.       But    the    multiplication    of    cheap 
printed   translations  of  all    the  best  classical 
authors  was  threatening  to  relieve  a  consider- 
able portion  of  the  students  of  the  necessity  of  using  their  knowledge  of  the  facts  and 
laws  of  grammar  in  interpreting  for  themselves  the  works  which  they  were  reading. 
Thus  they  were  in  danger  of  gradually  losing  the  fundamental  and  therefore  the  most 
important  portion  of  their  knowledge  of  these  subjects.     Special  effort  was  now  made 
accordingly  to  familiarize  the  students  in  the  class-room  with  the  application  of  gram- 
matical principles ;  and  it  was  insisted  upon  that  no  preparation  of  a  lesson  is  of  any 
great  value,  which   does  not  enable  the  student  to  defend  his  interpretations  of  the 
authors  he  is  reading,  on  grammatical  grounds. 

President  Day  continued  in  office  till  the  year  1846,  when  he  offered  his  resignation. 
The  last  fifteen  years  of  his  presidency  formed  a  truly  brilliant  period.  The  number 
of  students  in  all  the  departments  of  the  college  had  much  increased.  There  were  in 
each  class  representatives  from  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union.  As  a  body,  the  whole 
college  community  was  characterized  by  an  interest  in  study  and  a  spirit  of  work  which 
surpassed  anything  known  before.  One  class  in  particular — the  class  of  1837 — gained 
merited  distinction  in  these  respects  at  the  time,  and  the  great  number  of  eminent  men 
it  has  since  furnished  the  country  in  all  the  different  professions  bears  testimony  to 
the  character  of  the  training  to  which  its  members  were  subjected.  Among  others 
whose  names  appear  on  the  roll  of  this  class  may  be  mentioned  the  present  Secretary 


DIVINITY   COLLEGE,   A.  P.    1 836. 


144 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


of  State  at  Washington,  William  M.  Evarts;  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States,  Morrison  R.  Waite  ;  and  the;  American  Ambassador  at  the  Court 
of  St.  James,  Edwards  Pierrepont.  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
President  of  the  United  States  in  1876,  was  also,  for  a  time,  a  member  of  the  class. 

During  all  this  period,  the  consciousness  among  the  students  of  their  numbers,  and 
of  their  cosmopolitan  character,  added  to  the  esprit  de  corps  which  was  already  so 
marked  a  feature  of  the  college  community.  Never  before  had  the  students  been 
known  to  manifest  such  affection  for  their  alma  mater  or  to  take  such  pride  in  the 
ability  and  the  reputation  of  their  instructors.  In  the  academical  department,  Pro- 
fessor Silliman,  by  his  lectures  on  Chemistry,  Mineralogy,  and  Geology,  was  inspiring 
his  classes  with  an  enthusiastic  interest  in  science.  Professor  Kingsley  and  Professor 
Woolsey  were  giving  the  students  examples  of  finished  and  accurate  scholarship,  and 
introducing  them  to  an  acquaintance  with  some  of  the  best  literary  productions  of  the 
Latin  and  the  Greek  classical  writers,  which  till  then  had  not  been  generally  read  in 
this  country.  Professor  Olmsted,  in  his  observations  on  the  heavenly  bodies,  was 
attracting  around  him  a  succession  of  young  men  who  were  seeking  high  attainments 
in  his  favorite  science.  Professor  Stanley,  a  man  of  genuine  academic  qualities,  was 
filling  the  chair  of  Mathematics.  Professor  Goodrich  was  lecturing  on  eloquence  and 
the  great  parliamentary  orators  of  Great  Britain.  Professor  William  A.  Larned  was 
in  the  chair  of  Rhetoric  and  English  Literature.  Dr.  Fitch,  in  the  Chapel,  was  preach- 
ing on  Sunday  those  sermons  which  were  at  once  "studies  in  theology,  logic,  and 
rhetoric."  In  the  professional  schools,  also,  the  spirit  of  work  was  equally  manifest. 
Judge  Hitchcock  in  the  Law  School,  and  Dr.  Knight  in  the  Medical  School,  were 
earning  a  well-merited  distinction  ;  while  the  enthusiastic  affection  manifested  by 
each  successive  class  of  theological  students  for  Dr.  Taylor  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end  of  his  long  career  as  an  instructor  was  a  fitting  testimony  to  his  grand  qualities 
as  a  man  and  a  teacher. 

It  may  be  mentioned  as  one  reason  of  the  improved  morale  of  the  whole  body  of 
students  during  the  period  referred  to,  that  from  the  time  of  the  "  Conic  Sections 
Rebellion  "  it  had  become  the  settled  policy  of  the  Faculty  to  advise  those  students  to 
leave  the  institution  who  showed  a  disposition  to  neglect  their  studies  or  conduct 
themselves  in  a  disorderly  manner,  even  before  they  had  committed  any  specific 
offense.  The  same  course  was  also  followed  with  regard  to  all  whose  scholarship  fell 
below  a  certain  standard  in  their  daily  recitations  or  in  their  examinations.  To  such 
an  extent  was  this  policy  carried  that  classes  repeatedly  lost,  during  their  four  years, 
more  than  half  the  number  who  entered  with  them,  at  the  beginning,  as  Freshmen. 

In  this  period,  also,  there  was  shadowed  forth,  in  the  plans  of  some  of  the  officers  of 
the  college,  a  system  of  instruction  for  graduate  students,  by  means  of  which,  under 
the  successor  of  President  Day,  great  things  were  to  be  accomplished  for  the  college. 
But  the  time  had  not  yet  come  for  carrying  their  plans  into  execution. 

This  period  was  also  characterized  by  a  great  degree  of  literary  activity  among 
the  students.  Several  magazines  of  different  names  were  established  from  time  to 
time,  most  of  which  had  but  a  short  life.      But,  in  1836,  the  Yale  Literary  ]\Iagaziiic 


PRESIDENT  DAY.  I45 

appeared,  under  the  editorship  of  a  committee  of  the  Senior  class,  which  still  survives, 
the  oldest  of  all  American  college  periodicals,  in  its  forty-first  year. 

Great  interest  was  taken,  also,  in  the  debates  of  the  three  prominent  literary 
societies — Linonia,  Brothers  in  Unity,  and  Calliope.  But  the  college  community  was 
now  so  large  that  there  began  to  be  a  feeling  that  these  great  societies  hardly 
provided  for  all  the  wants  of  the  students  in  their  efforts  for  literary  improvement. 
Even  before  1830  there  had  been,  in  almost  every  class,  smaller  societies  composed  of 
those  who  were  drawn  together  by  similarity  of  tastes  and  purposes.  No  effort  was 
made,  however,  for  a  long  time,  on  the  part  of  their  members,  to  transmit  these  organi- 
zations to  those  who  succeeded  them  in  college;  but  in  1832  an  elective  society  was 
formed  in  the  Senior  class,  which  is  commonly  known  as  "Skull  and  Bones,"  which 
soon  began  to  be  looked  upon  by  the  students  as  one  of  the  most  important  of  col- 
lege organizations.  The  foundation  of  "Skull  and  Bones  "  was  followed,  in  1842,  by 
that  of  "  Scroll  and  Key."  Societies  supposed  to  be  substantially  similar  have  since 
become  very  numerous  in  all  the  classes.  They  form  the  basis  of  a  great  share  of  the 
distinctive  social  life  of  the  college.  During  the  whole  term  of  office  of  President 
Day  these  elective  societies  caused  little  diminution  of  interest  in  the  larger  debating 
societies,  which  continued  to  maintain  a  strong  hold  on  the  interest  and  the  affections 
of  the  students. 

It  was  during  this  period,  also,  that  "  boating  "  began  first  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  students.  The  first  boat  club  was  formed  in  1843.  The  first  club  boat  bore 
the  name  of  the  "  Pioneer."  The  popular  out-of-door  games  were  foot-ball,  wicket, 
and  base-ball.  A  gymnasium  had  been  fitted  up  on  the  college  grounds  as  early  as 
1826. 

In  1840,  one  of  the  oldest  institutions  existing  among  the  students  came  to  an  end. 
For  several  years  there  had  been  a  large  portion  of  every  class  to  whom  the  name 
of  "  Bully,"  so  long  applied  to  the  Moderator  of"  their  meetings,  was  exceedingly  dis- 
tasteful. A  party  had  arisen  who  wished  to  substitute  for  the  obnoxious  name  some 
more  euphonious  title,  as  that  of  Marshal,  or  Class- Leader.  The  excitement  mani- 
fested was  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  importance  of  the  subject,  but  the  feeling  of  the 
two  parties  ran  so  high  that  it  led,  in  1840,  on  Commencement  Day,  to  a  dispute  as  to 
which  officer  should  lead  the  usual  procession  of  students  from  the  College  Green  to 
the  church  where  the  exercises  were  to  be  held.  On  this  occasion  there  was  so  much 
disturbance  that  the  Faculty  were  led  to  abolish  the  whole  institution  of  the  Bully 
Club,  and  it  was  ordered  that  henceforth  there  should  be  no  permanent  class-officer 
recognized  among  the  students. 

In  1846,  President  Day  resigned  the  office  which  he  had  held  since  a.d.  181 7.  He 
had  been  President  for  a  longer  period  than  any  of  his  predecessors.  He  had  con- 
ferred degrees  on  thirty  successive  classes.  Professor  Kingsley  says  :  "  Yale  College 
is  thought  to  have  been  peculiarly  fortunate  in  its  Presidents ;  and  it  may  be  said  with 
truth  that  it  has  at  no  time  flourished  more  than  under  the  administration  of  President 
Day."  It  may  be  added  that  the  events  of  his  administration  settled  the  future  of  the 
college  for  many  years  to  come. 

VOL.   I. 19 


146 


)  'A  /./■'  COLLEGE. 


President  Day  survived  his  resignation  twenty-one  years.  During  all  this  time,  till 
about  two  months  before  his  death,  he  continued  to  serve  the  college  actively  as  a 
member  of  the  corporation  and  of  the  "Prudential  Committee."  At  last,  June  11, 
1867,  he  resigned  the  position  which  he  had  held  in  that  Board  for  fifty  years;  and 
this  termination  of  his  long  connection  with  the  college  was  followed  shortly  after — 
August  22 — by  his  death,  three  weeks  after  he  had  completed  his  ninety-fourth  year. 
President  Woolsey  said  at  his  funeral:  "  I  suppose  that  if  the  nearly  twenty-five  hun- 
dred graduates  who  were  educated  in  Yale  College  between  181 7  and  1846  were 
asked  who  was  the  best  man  they  knew,  they  would,  with  a  very  general  agreement, 
assign  that  high  place  to  Jeremiah  Day." 


JEREMIAH  DAY 

PRESIDENTOFYALECDLLEGE  MDCCCXVII-XLVl 
BORN  AU Gill    MOCCLXXIII 

DIEDAUGXXII    MDCCCLXVII- 
AGED  NINETY  FOUR  YEARS. 


(fh  far^Tl^4£^L&  c^rCi  <Z^j , 


SHEFFIELD    HALL,  A.I),    i860. 


CHAPTER     XI. 

REV.   THEODORE  D.  WOOLSEY,  D.D.,  PRESIDENT,  A.D.   1846-1871. 

Professor  Theodore  D.  Woolsey  chosen  President. — His  Inauguration. — Introduction  of  a  broader 
Culture.- — Biennial  Examinations. — Freshman  Scholarships. — Studies  of  Senior  Year. — Additions  to  the 
Faculty. — Department  of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts. — Sheffield  Scientific  School. — Mr.  Joseph  E.  Shef- 
field.— Theological  Department. — Medical  Department. — Law  Department. — School  of  the  Fine  Arts. 
— Mr.  Augustus  R.  Street.— Change  in  the  Corporation. —  Resignation. 

It  had  been  understood  for  some  years  before  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Day  that  he 
was  desirous  of  laying  down  the  office  of  President.  Since  1843,  he  had  continued  to 
hold  his  position  at  the  head  of  the  college  only  in  consequence  of  the  urgent  request 
of  his  colleagues.  The  corporation  were  prepared,  therefore,  when  he  insisted  in  1846 
upon  retiring,  to  proceed  at  once  to  an  election,  which  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Pro- 
fessor Theodore  D.  Woolsey  as  his  successor. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  Professor  Woolsey  was  a  graduate  of  the  college,  of 
the  class  of  1820.  After  leaving  college,  he  had  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Charles 
Chauncey,  Esq.,  an  eminent  lawyer  of  Philadelphia  ;  and  had  also  pursued  theological 
study  for  a  time  at  Princeton,  and  been  licensed  to  preach  in  1825.  Since  1831  he 
had  been  Professor  of  the  Greek  Language  and  Literature.  It  was  now  found  that  he 
was  very  reluctant  to  accept  the  new  office  to  which  he  had  been  elected  ;  and  it  was 
only  with  difficulty  that  he  was  prevailed  upon  by  his  friends  in  the  Faculty  to  comply 
with  the  wishes  of  the  corporation.  His  objections,  however,  having  been  at  last 
overcome,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry,  October  21,  1846,  and  at  the  same  time 
inaugurated  as  President  of  the  college. 

President  Woolsey  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  at  a  time  when,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  increased  facilities  of  intercommunication  between  this  country  and 
Europe,  American  scholarship  was  beginning  to  be  measured  by  the  best  results  of  the 
training  which  was  given  in  European  universities.  It  was  a  gratification,  therefore, 
to  the  friends  of  the  college  that  the  new  President,  even  as  judged  by  the  highest 
standards,  ranked  as  a  ripe  and  finished  scholar. 

147 


1 48  VALE  COLLEGE. 

The  affairs  of  the  institution  were  administered  by  him  for  twenty-five  years  with 
great  ability.  The  whole  period  from  1846  to  1871  was  one  of  uniform  prosperity, 
and  was  marked  by  the  steady  growth  and  improvement  of  the  college  in  all  its 
departments.  But  it  was  by  bringing  the  whole  body  of  students  under  the  influences 
which  proceed  from  a  broader  culture,  than  any  they  had  been  subjected  to  before,  that 
his  administration  was  particularly  distinguished.  He  had,  at  once,  after  entering 
upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  assumed,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  his  predeces- 
sors, a  prominent  part  in  the  instruction  of  the  Senior  class  ;  devoting  himself  more 
especially  to  modern  history  and  political  science.  But  the  influence  of  his  teaching, 
and  of  his  example  as  a  laborious  and  conscientious  scholar,  was  felt  throughout  the 
whole  college  community.  At  the  time  of  his  resignation  in  1871,  a  writer  in  the 
Nation  said :  "  The  atmosphere  of  his  presence  was  a  place  where  superficial  acquisi- 
tions, conceit  of  knowledge,  and  the  mere  ability  to  use  the  tongue  glibly  when  there 
is  nothing  valuable  to  communicate,  could  not  flourish." 

One  of  the  special  aims  of  President  Woolsey  during  his  term  of  office  was  to  give 
the  students  a  higher  conception  of  the  nature  of  true  scholarship.  To  this  end,  he  at 
once  introduced  several  important  changes.  One  of  these,  which  affected  all  the 
classes,  was  in  the  method  of  carrying  on  the  examinations,  which,  in  fact,  for  the  past 
twelve  or  fourteen  years,  had  been  conducted  with  constantly  increasing  thoroughness. 
Under  his  direction,  there  were  introduced  at  the  end  of  the  Sophomore  and  the 
Senior  year,  in  addition  to  the  usual  examination  at  the  close  of  the  college  terms, 
examinations  on  the  studies  of  the  two  preceding  years  which  were  known  as  the 
Sophomore  and  the  Senior  "  Biennial."  These  were  conducted  entirely  in  writing,  and 
with  great  strictness  ;   and  their  effects  were  apparent  at  once. 

Another  marked  feature  in  the  policy  of  President  Woolsey  was  the  commencement 
of  a  system  according  to  which  "  scholarships  "  were  to  be  conferred  upon  those  per- 
sons in  each  Freshman  class  who  manifested  special  ability.  The  emoluments  of  these 
"  scholarships  "  were  to  be  held  during  the  four  years  of  the  undergraduate  course. 
President  Woolsey  set  the  example  by  giving  himself  a  sum  of  money  ($4,000)  suffi- 
cient for  the  foundation  of  four  of  these  scholarships. 

The  greatest  change,  however,  was  made  by  him  in  the  studies  of  the  Senior  year. 
It  had  been  before  to  a  great  extent  the  custom  for  the  Senior  class  to  receive  the 
larger  part  of  their  instruction  by  means  of  lectures.  The  year  was  in  fact  often 
looked  forward  to  by  the  less  studious  as  a  year  of  comparative  exemption  from  hard 
work.  Under  President  Woolsey,  the  Senior  year  was  made  one  of  the  most  laborious 
of  the  college  course.  The  number  of  recitations  was  increased  ;  and,  as  already  said, 
the  class  was  carried  under  his  special  direction  through  a  severe  course  of  study  in 
history,  philosophy,  and  political  science,  so  that  the  year  now  became  one  of  the  most 
valuable  of  all  the  four  in  the  amount  of  information  obtained,  and  especially  in  its 
effects  upon  the  mental  discipline  of  the  students. 

But  while  President  Woolsey  introduced  these  important  changes,  they  were  all  in 
conformity  with,  and  in  the  line  of,  the  traditions  of  the  college.  In  all  of  them,  he 
had  the  cordial  support  of  the  whole  body  of  instructors  ;  and,  also,  of  Dr.  Day,  who, 


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PRESIDENT    WOOLSEY.  1^g 

as  it  has  already  been  mentioned,  continued  till  1867  to  be  an  active  member  of  the 
corporation,  and  of  the  "  Prudential  Committee."  The  ranks  of  the  Faculty,  mean- 
while, remained  for  several  years  unbroken,  and  the  proceedings  of  that  body  con- 
tinued to  be  characterized  by  that  harmony  which  had  so  long  been  maintained  among 
its  members.  Some  important  additions  were  also  made  to  it.  Besides  Professor 
Silliman  and  Professor  Kingsley,  who  had  now  been  connected  with  the  college 
for  a  period  of  more  than  forty  years,  and  Professor  Olmsted  whose  services  com- 
menced more  than  twenty  years  before,  and  the  other  Professors  who  had  served  with 
President  Woolsey  in  that  body  while  he  was  himself  a  Professor,  there  were  added, 
in  1846,  the  Rev.  Noah  Porter,  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  who  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  Moral  Philosophy  and  Metaphysics;  and  in  1848,  Mr.  James  Hadley,  who 
was  chosen  Professor  of  the  Greek  Language  and  Literature.  In  1850,  Mr.  James  D. 
Dana  became  Professor  of  Geology  and  Mineralogy.  In  1854,  Mr.  George  P.  Fisher 
was  elected  Professor  of  Divinity;  and,  in  1855,  Mr.  Hubert  A.  Newton,  Professor  of 
Mathematics.  In  i860,  Professor  Loomis  was  elected  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy 
and  Astronomy  ;  in  1863,  Mr.  Cyrus  Northrop,  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  English 
Literature ;  and  Mr.  Lewis  R.  Packard,  Professor  of  the  Greek  Language  and  Litera- 
ture;  in  1864,  Mr.  Edward  B.  Coe,  Professor  of  Modern  Languages  ;  and  in  1865,  Mr. 
Arthur  M.  Wheeler,  Professor  of  History. 

The  prosperity  of  the  college  during  this  period  was  not  confined  to  the  Academical 
Department.  Arrangements  were  made  in  1846 — the  year  in  which  President  Wool- 
sey entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office — for  adding  to  the  four  departments  already 
in  successful  operation  still  another,  to  meet  the  wants  of  advanced  students  in  philoso- 
phy and  the  arts.  The  circumstances  which  led  to  its  establishment  were  in  some 
respects  similar  to  those  which  had  before  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  Theological 
Department. 

For  some  years  there  had  been  an  increasing  inclination  on  the  part  of  a  class  of 
graduate  students,  which  had  been  fostered  especially  by  President  Woolsey,  when  he 
was  Professor  of  Greek,  to  remain  in  New  Haven  with  the  design  of  prosecuting  their 
studies  further  than  they  had  as  yet  been  able  to  do.  There  had  been,  also,  a  general 
desire  among  all  the  officers  of  the  Academical  Faculty  that  a  course  of  advanced 
instruction  might  be  arranged  for  the  benefit  of  such  students,  in  philosophy,  philology, 
the  pure  mathematics,  history,  literature,  and  the  natural  sciences.  There  had  been, 
besides,  from  time  to  time,  students  who  had  entered  the  laboratory  of  the  elder  Pro- 
fessor Silliman,  for  the  purpose  of  studying  chemistry  under  his  direction.  In  1842, 
additional  facilities  for  study  of  this  kind  had  been  offered  by  Mr.  Benjamin  Silliman, 
junior,  who  opened  a  private  school  in  the  laboratory  of  his  father,  for  the  instruction 
of  those  who  wished  to  pursue  a  course  in  analytical  chemistry  and  mineralogy. 

Prominent  among  the  students  of  Mr.  Silliman,  junior,  was  Mr.  John  P.  Norton,  who 
had  afterwards  gone  to  Europe,  that  he  might  continue  his  chemical  studies  in  Edin- 
burgh and  other  cities.  In  1846  he  returned  to  this  country,  and  it  seemed  desirable 
that  his  services  should  be  secured  by  the  college  as  a  teacher  of  those  students  who 
desired  special  instruction  in  the  applications  of  chemistry  to  agriculture.     Professor 


150 


VALE   COLLEGE. 


Silliman,  senior,  accordingly,  at  the  meeting  of  the  corporation  in  August  of  that  year, 
presented  a  paper  in  which  it  was  proposed  that  a  new  department  should  be  estab- 
lished, where  special  instruction  should  be  given  in  the  physical  sciences,  and  that  two 
additional  professors  should  be  chosen  for  this  purpose — Mr.  Benjamin  Silliman,  junior, 
and  Mr.  John  P.  Norton.  This  movement  in  behalf  of  special  scientific  instruction  fell 
in  with  the  views  of  those  who  had  been  hoping  to  arrange  a  course  of  study  for  ad- 
vanced students  in  other  branches  of  learning,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  report 
on  the  advisability  of  so  extending  the  plan  of  the  proposed  department  as  to  embrace 
instruction  in  all  descriptions  of  knowledge  not  already  taught  in  the  existing  profes- 
sional schools.  At  the  same  time  the  corporation  established  the  two  professorships 
as  desired  ;  one  of  "  Agricultural  Chemistry  and  Animal  and  Vegetable  Physiology," 
to  which  Mr.  John  P.  Norton  was  appointed  ;  and  the  other  of  "  Chemistry  and  the 
kindred  Sciences  as  applied  to  the  Arts,"  to  which  Mr.  Silliman,  junior,  was  appointed. 
The  next  year — August  19,  1847 — tne  committee  reported  that  in  their  judgment  it 
was  expedient  to  form  the  new  department,  and  assigned  the  following  reasons : 

1.  There  is  a  demand,  on  the  part  of  our  graduates  and  others,  for  instruction  in  particular  lines  beyond 
what  is  wanted  or  can  be  given  in  the  college  course. 

2.  We  have  several  endowed  scholarships  for  graduates,  and  are  likely  to  have  more  ;  and  the  advantages 
arising  from  these  endowments  will  be  greatly  increased  by  having  instruction  provided  for  the  scholars  upon 
them,  and  not  leaving  them  to  themselves. 

3.  From  time  to  time  new  branches  of  study  are  called  for  by  the  public,  which,  if  introduced  into  our 
undergraduate  course,  would  greatly  crowd  it,  and  interfere  with  its  object  as  a  course  of  training  for  the 
mind. 

4.  It  is  believed  that  students  resident  here  for  the  purpose  of  pursuing  a  specific  branch  will  be  industrious 
and  will  have  a  good  effect  in  promoting  the  spirit  of  study  among  the  undergraduates. 

5.  We  have  at  present  the  materials  of  such  a  department  here  on  the  ground.  It  is  believed  by  your  com- 
mittee that  some  system  introduced  into  them  will  greatly  add  to  their  usefulness. 

The  committee  also  recommended  the  following  regulations  for  the  organization  of 
the  department,  should  it  be  judged  expedient  to  form  one : 

1.  There  shall  be  a  fourth  department  of  instruction  for  other  than  undergraduate  students  who  are  not  in 
the  Departments  of  Theology,  Medicine,  and  Law,  to  be  called  the  "Department  of  Philosophy  and  the 
Arts."  The  department  is  intended  to  embrace  philosophy,  literature,  history,  the  moral  sciences  other  than 
law  and  theology,  the  natural  sciences  excepting  medicine,  and  their  application  to  the  arts. 

2.  Instruction  in  this  department  may  be  given  by  Professors  not  belonging  to  the  others,  by  Professors  in 
the  academical  departments,  and  by  such  others  as  the  President  and  Fellows  may  approve.  But  no  second 
course  of  lectures  on  the  same  branch  may  be  given  without  the  consent  of  the  previous  lecturer. 

3.  All  graduates  of  this  or  other  colleges,  and  all  other  young  men  of  fair  moral  character,  may  be  allowed 
to  pursue  such  studies  included  in  this  department  as  they  may  desire.  But  dismissed  students  of  this  or 
other  colleges,  and  undergraduate  students,  without  express  leave  of  the  academical  Faculty,  shall  not  enjoy 
the  privilege  of  this  department. 

4.  The  instructors  in  this  department  may  make  such  arrangements,  as  it  respects  remuneration  for  their 
instructions,  as  they  may  think  proper. 

5.  The  Faculty  of  the  department  shall  consist  of  the  President,  and  such  Professors  as  are  actually  engaged 
in  the  instruction  of  the  department  ;  and  regulations  passed  by  the  Faculty,  and  approved  by  the  corporation, 
may  be  the  regulations  of  the  department. 


_  ^*TJ  .-I*    '( .  "v 

- 


TEMPLE   STREET   IN    WINTER. 


PRESIDENT    WOOLSEY.  I5I 

In  accordance  with  this  report,  "  The  Department  of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts  "  was 
at  once  established;  and  with  the  commencement  of  the  academic  year  1847-1848 
eleven  students  were  enrolled  and  instruction  was  becnin. 

One  of  the  sections  of  the  new  department  was  "The  School  of  Applied  Chemis- 
try," which  was  opened  by  Professor  Silliman,  junior,  and  Professor  John  P.  Norton, 
in  the  house  on  the  college  square,  which  had  been  the  residence  of  President  Dwight, 
and  of  President  Day,  and  which  had  been  left  unoccupied  since  his  resignation  in 
1846.  The  school  commenced  under  very  favorable  circumstances,  and  a  high  degree 
of  enthusiasm  was  manifested  in  the  advancement  of  all  its  interests  by  instructors  and 
pupils.  Soon,  however,  in  1849,  Professor  Silliman,  junior,  received  an  appointment 
as  Professor  in  the  Medical  School  of  Louisville,  Kentucky.  But  Professor  John  P. 
Norton  continued  to  devote  himself  with  rare  disinterestedness  to  the  work  upon 
which  he  had  entered.  The  number  of  scholars  steadily  increased  each  year,  and  the 
success  of  the  enterprise  seemed  so  assured  that,  in  1852,  on  his  petition,  the  cor- 
poration established  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  ;  and,  at  Commencement  of 
the  same  year,  it  was  conferred  on  six  persons  who  had  passed  the  required  examina- 
tions. 

But  at  the  very  time  that  all  seemed  so  encouraging,  the  school  was  called  to  meet 
with  a  great  loss.  Before  the  beginning  of  the  next  academic  year,  Professor  John  P. 
Norton,  its  sole  acting  instructor,  was  removed  by  death,  September  5,  1852.  It  was 
only  about  five  years  since  he  had  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  chair,  but  few  officers 
of  the  college  have  ever  shown  greater  devotion  to  their  special  work  than  he,  or  have 
succeeded  in  awakening  for  his  pursuits  greater  interest  among  the  public  at  large. 
Notwithstanding  the  death  of  Professor  Norton,  instruction  still  went  on.  Professor 
John  A.  Porter,  at  the  request  of  the  corporation,  took  temporary  charge  of  the  labo- 
ratory;  and  Professor  William  A.  Norton,  a  graduate  of  the  United  States  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point,  was  appointed  Professor  of  Civil  Engineering,  and  com- 
menced teaching  with  a  class  of  twenty-six  students.  The  next  year,  Professor  Porter 
was  formally  appointed  Professor  of  "  Analytical  and  Agricultural  Chemistry."  In 
1854,  the  branches  of  Chemistry  and  Engineering  in  the  "  Department  of  Philosophy 
and  the  Arts"  received  the  name  of  "The  Yale  Scientific  School."  In  1855,  the  school 
was  thoroughly  reorganized,  and  the  courses  of  instruction  enlarged.  Mr.  George  J. 
Brush  was  appointed  Professor  of  Metallurgy,  and  Professor  James  D.  Dana,  of  the 
Academical  Department,  who  had  always  been  a  warm  friend  of  the  school,  began  to 
give  special  instruction  to  its  students  in  geology.  He  continued  to  do  this  till  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  it  by  ill  health.  In  1856,  Mr.  Samuel  W.  Johnson,  who  had 
been  first  assistant  in  the  laboratory,  was  made  Professor  of  Analytical  Chemistry. 

The  success  which  once  more  attended  the  efforts  of  the  officers  of  the  school 
encouraged  them  now  to  plan  for  the  introduction  of  still  other  departments  of  instruc- 
tion. But  the  want  of  funds  prevented  them  from  accomplishing  immediately  all 
that  they  wished.  At  last,  in  i860,  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Sheffield,  of  New  Haven,  who  had 
already  shown  his  interest  in  the  school  in  various  ways,  and  especially  by  gifts  which 
amounted   in   the   aggregate   to   $10,000,    proposed   to   provide   for   it   a   building  and 


15: 


YAJ.E  COLLEGE. 


a  permanent  fund.  "  Having  purchased  of  the  Medical  College  the  edifice  at  the  head 
of  College  street,  in  Grove  street,  he  refitted  it  throughout,  added  two  large  wings, 
provided  for  the  school  a  large  amount  of  apparatus,  and  gave  a  fund  of  $50,000  for 
the  maintenance  of  Professorships  of  Engineering,  Metallurgy,  and  Chemistry."  In 
recognition  of  his  bounty,  which  amounted  to  over  $100,000,  the  corporation  gave  his 
name  to  the  school,  which  was  now  reorganized.  At  this  time,  a  greater  degree  of 
uniformity  was  given  to  the  pursuits  of  the  students,  by  arrangements  which  assigned 
three  years  of  regular  and  systematic  study  to  every  candidate  for  a  degree  ;  the  whole 
body  of  students  being  required  to  unite  in  the  same  studies  during  the  first  year  of 
their  connection  with  the  school.  Meanwhile,  the  Rev.  C.  S.  Lyman  was  appointed 
Professor  of  Industrial  Mechanics  and  Physics ;  and  Professor  William  D.  Whitney, 
who  was  already  connected  with  the  college,  was  invited  to  give  instruction  in  the 
modern  languages.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  was  also  now  offered  by  the 
corporation  to  those  students  who  made  advanced  attainments  in  the  higher  branches 
of  science. 

In  1863,  the  legislature  of  Connecticut  appropriated  to  the  uses  of  the  school  the  sum 
of  $135,000,  the  avails  of  the  land-scrip  given  to  the  State  by  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  in  accordance  with  the  act  of  July  2,  1862,  known  as  the  Morrill  Bill. 
The  same  year,  Mr.  Daniel  C.  Gilman  was  appointed  Professor  of  Physical  Geography. 
In  1864,  Mr.  Daniel  C.  Eaton  was  appointed  to  the  Professorship  of  Botany;  and  Mr. 
A.  E.  Verrill  to  the  Professorship  of  Zoology.  Mr.  W.  H.  Brewer  also  entered  upon 
his  duties  as  Professor  of  Agriculture,  to  which  he  had  been  previously  appointed.  In 
1865,  Mr.  Alfred  P.  Rockwell  was  appointed  Professor  of  Mining.  In  1866,  Mr.  O.  C. 
Marsh  was  appointed  Professor  of  Palaeontology;  in  1870,  Mr.  William  P.  Trowbridge 
became  Professor  of  Dynamical  Engineering  ;  and  on  his  resignation  in  1877,  Profes- 
sor A.  Jay  Du  Bois  was  chosen  to  fill  the  same  chair. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Sheffield  had  continued  from  time  to  time  to  add  to  his  gifts,  the 
most  important  of  which,  during  the  administration  of  President  Woolsey,  amounted  to 
$250,000,  and  may  be  thus  grouped: 

1.  The  building  in  Grove  street,  known  as  Sheffield  Hall,  twice  enlarged  and 
refitted,  including  the  observatory  towers,  an  equatorial  telescope,  a  meridian  circle, 
a  collection  of  models  in  engineering  and  architecture,  furniture,  cases,  etc. 

2.  A  fund  of  $130,000  for  the  professorships. 

3.  A  library  fund  of  $12,000;  and  the  Hillhouse  mathematical  library,  purchased  at 
a  cost  of  $4,000. 

4.  A  gift  to  the  Collier  Cabinet  of  $2,700. 

5.  Frequent  contributions  to  the  current  expenses. 

In  this  estimate,  the  valuable  gifts  of  Mr.  Sheffield  to  the  school  since  1871  are  not 
included,  which,  if  added  to  the  above  amount,  would  make  a  total  of  over  $350,000. 

Thus,  in  so  short  a  space  of  time,  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  one  of  the  sections 
of  the  "  Department  of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts,"  owing  in  great  measure  to  the 
enthusiasm,  harmony,  and  devotion  of  its  officers,  had  become  one  of  the  most  flourish- 
ing and  most  valuable  branches  of  the  college.     Its  origin  was  due  to  an  effort  that  was 


PRESIDENT    WOOLSEY.  1 53 

put  forth  primarily  to  provide  instruction  for  graduate  students,  but  it  now  included  not 
only  instruction  for  graduates,  but  also  an  Undergraduate  Department,  which  was 
co-ordinate  with  the  Academical  Department.  In  the  other  section  of  the  "  Depart- 
ment of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts,"  students  continued  to  be  received,  and  advanced 
instruction  to  be  given  in  "philosophy,  philology,  and  mathematics;"  but  the  time  had 
not  come  for  the  more  complete  development  which  it  has  since  obtained. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  administration  of  President  Woolsey,  the  opportunities 
for  study  in  the  Theological  Department  were  much  increased.  A  crisis  had  occurred 
in  its  history  between  the  years  1858  and  1861.  Within  the  space  of  those  three  years 
the  founders  and  original  professors,  to  whom  it  owed  the  reputation  which  it  had  so 
long  enjoyed,  had  all,  with  the  exception  of  Dr.  Fitch,  been  removed  by  death — Dr. 
Taylor  in  1858;  Dr.  Goodrich  in  i860;  and  Professor  Gibbs  in  1861.  Dr.  Fitch  still 
survived,  but  he  had  withdrawn  from  all  active  participation  in  the  work  of  instruction. 
At  this  time,  the  endowment  of  the  department  amounted  only  to  about  $50,000 ;  and 
even  the  building  which  was  occupied  by  the  students  had  been  erected  with  the 
understanding  that  it  might  be  taken  at  its  appraised  value  by  the  Academical 
Department  whenever  it  should  be  needed. 

Accordingly,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Taylor,  it  was  impossible  for  some  time  to  fill  the 
chair  which  he  had  occupied,  on  account  of  the  want  of  sufficient  funds.  Arrange- 
ments were  made,  however,  by  which  Professor  Noah  Porter,  of  the  Academical 
Faculty,  gave  the  lectures  in  Systematic  Theology,  commencing  in  1858  ;  and,  in  the 
same  year,  Mr.  Timothy  Dwight  was  appointed  Professor  of  Sacred  Literature. 

For  some  years  the  prospects  of  the  department  were  far  from  encouraging,  but 
at  last,  as  the  result  of  efforts  which  were  made,  an  endowment  was  obtained,  and 
the  Rev.  James  M.  Hoppin  was  made  Professor  of  Homiletics  and  Pastoral  Theology, 
and  Professor  George  P.  Fisher,  then  in  the  chair  of  Divinity  in  the  college,  became 
Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History.  Mr.  Henry  H.  Hadley  was  also  elected  Pro- 
fessor of  Hebrew ;  but  held  the  office  only  one  year.  Mr.  Addison  Van  Name  then 
gave  instruction  in  that  language  till  1866,  when  Professor  George  E.  Day  was  made 
Professor  of  Hebrew  and  Biblical  Theology.  The  same  year,  as  the  academical  duties 
of  Professor  Porter  prevented  his  continuing  to  give  instruction  any  longer  in  the 
Theological  Department,  the  Rev.  Leonard  Bacon,  D.D.,  who  had  been  for  forty  years 
the  pastor  of  the  First  Church  in  New  Haven,  was  invited  to  fill  the  chair,  which  had 
been  first  occupied  by  Dr.  Taylor,  till  a  permanent  professor  should  be  appointed. 
Accordingly,  he  discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  till  1 87 1,  when  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Harris,  D.D.,  formerly  President  of  Bowdoin  College,  in  Maine,  was  elected  Professor 
of  Dogmatic  Theology.  Dr.  Bacon  was  now  appointed  Lecturer  on  Church  Polity, 
and  American  Church  History. 

In  1870,  a  large  and  commodious  edifice,  with  spacious  lecture-rooms  and  apart- 
ments for  the  students,  was  completed,  which  is  known  as  East  Divinity  Hall ;  and, 
two  years  after,  through  the  liberality  of  Mr.  Frederick  Marquand,  of  Southport, 
Connecticut,  a  chapel  was  also  built,  to  which  his  name  has  been  given.  With 
such  liberal   provision  for  its  support,  it  was  not  long  before  the  Theological  Depart  - 

VOL.   I. 20 


i54 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


lLt-1*"" 


EAST   DIVINITY    HALL,  A.D.   1870. 


ment  regained  all  its  former  importance,  and  the  number  of  its  students  was  increased 
to  over  a  hundred. 

In  1872,  on  the  occasion  of  the  semi-centennial  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the 
school,  Professor  Fisher  said:  "  It  would  be  a  shame  if  in  some  things  we  had  not 
improved  on  the  past.  If  we  compare  the  seminary  with  what  it  was  twenty  or  thirty 
years  ago,  it  is  obvious    that    there   is   now  far  more   biblical    and   historical   study. 

Indeed,  the  study  of  church  history 
was  then  omitted.  The  course  is 
now  much  more  symmetrical  and 
complete.  The  intellectual  activity 
of  the  students  is  not,  as  then,  al- 
most exclusively  in  the  direction  of 
dogmatic  theology.  Their  thoughts 
and  studies  do  not  run  in  one 
groove.  The  aspects  of  theology 
that  chiefly  engage  attention  have 
changed.  The  question  of  the 
foundation  of  moral  obligation,  of 
the  divine  permission  of  sin,  of 
natural  and  moral  ability,  are  no 
longer  the  exciting  topics  of  discus- 
sion. These  old  questions  are  im- 
portant. The  wheel  will  revolve,  and  they  will  again  emerge  into  prominence.  But 
now,  in  the  seminary,  as  abroad  in  the  world,  the  relation  of  religion  to  the  discov- 
eries and  conjectures  of  natural  and  historical  science,  the  miraculous  life  and  person 
of  Christ,  and  his  work  among  men  and  for  them,  are  the  most  attractive  themes.  I 
do  not  believe  that  there  is  less  of  religious  consecration  among  the  students  than 
formerly  was  the  case.  There  is  an  equal  interest  in  missions,  foreign  and  domestic, 
equal  sobriety  in  character  and  conduct,  and  an  equal  attachment  to  evangelical  truth." 
"And  here  permit  me  to  say,  that  although  we,  like  our  fathers,  are  Congregation- 
alists,  we  are  not  sectarians.  Yale  College  was  founded  by  religious  men  for  religious 
ends.  It  has  been  the  first  aim  and  prayer  of  the  eminent  men  who  in  past  times 
have  held  its  offices  of  government  and  instruction,  that  the  principles  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  should  be  inculcated  here,  and  the  spirit  of  a  living  faith  in  the  verities  of 
revealed  religion  should  prevail  among  teachers  and  pupils.  But  there  has  not  been, 
in  modern  times  at  least,  anything  that  can  justly  be  called  a  sectarian  feeling.  Such 
a  feeling  does  not  exist  in  this  school  of  theology.  I  can  affirm  with  truth  that  a 
proselyting  spirit  is  wholly  foreign  to  the  place.  No  instructor  in  Yale  College,  in  any 
of  its  departments,  not  even  in  the  theological,  ever  thinks  of  trying  to  convert  a 
Methodist  into  a  Congregationalist,  or  an  Episcopalian  into  a  Congregationalist,  or 
to  alter  the  denominational  relation  of  anybody.  No  attempt,  direct  or  circuitous,  is 
ever  made  for  such  an  end.  Sectarian,  proselyting  efforts  would  be  felt  by  all  to 
be  wholly   at  war  with  the  genius  loci.     We  have  a  right  to  declare,  then,  that,  con- 


PRESIDENT    WOOLSEY.  I55 

sidering  the  history  of  the  college,  the  men  who  imparted  to  it  the  principles  that 
have  given  it  success,  and  the  generous,  truly  Christian  spirit  in  which  it  has  been 
managed,  its  guardians  would  be  unfaithful  to  the  charge  that  has  been  transmitted 
to  them,  if  they  turned  their  backs  on  religion,  or  if,  out  of  complaisance  to  a  spurious 
and  treacherous  notion  of  catholicity,  they  were  to  allow  a  sectarian,  proselyting 
tendency  to  gain  a  foothold  within  these  ancient  walls,  where  it  would  labor  to  subvert 
the  true  Christian  liberality  that  has  marked  the  administration  of  the  college." 

The  Law  Department,  at  the  time  of  the  resignation  of  President  Woolsey,  was  in 
a  very  flourishing  condition  ;  although,  during  a  period  of  some  years,  its  fortunes  had 
been  at  a  low  ebb.  In  1843,  when  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Law  began  to  be  con- 
ferred on  those  who  had  passed  through  its  curriculum  of  study  and  sustained  the 
requisite  examination,  it  enjoyed  an  enviable  reputation.  But,  in  1845,  Professor 
Hitchcock  died,  and  his  death  was  followed  by  that  of  Professor  Isaac  H.  Townsend  in 
1847.  The  same  year,  Judge  Daggett,  who  had  now  reached  an  advanced  age, 
resigned.  Judge  William  L.  Storrs,  also,  who  had  been  appointed  a  professor  in 
1845,  and  Henry  White,  Esq.,  who  had  assisted  for  nearly  two  years  in  the  instruction, 
were  compelled  by  their  professional  duties  to  retire  from  the  school.  The  corpora- 
tion now  chose  the  Hon.  Clark  Bissell,  of  Norwalk,  who  was  then  Governor  of  the 
State,  and  Henry  Dutton,  Esq.,  of  Bridgeport,  Professors  of  Law ;  and  the  department 
was  placed  under  their  charge.  In  1855,  however,  Governor  Bissell  resigned  on 
account  of  his  advanced  age ;  and  the  Hon.  Thomas  B.  Osborne,  formerly  a  member 
of  Congress  from  Fairfield,  became  his  successor,  and  continued  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  the  office  till  1865,  when  he  also  resigned.  Meanwhile,  Professor  Dutton, 
who  had  been  elected  Governor  of  the  State  in  1854,  and  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Errors  in  1861,  was  so  occupied  with  his  professional  duties  that  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  give  the  requisite  attention  to  the  school,  and  consequently 
for  some  years  it  fell  into  a  very  depressed  condition.  On  the  death  of  Governor 
Dutton,  in  1869,  however,  the  corporation  placed  the  department  in  the  charge  of 
Simeon  E.  Baldwin,  William  E.  Robinson,  and  Johnson  T.  Piatt,  Esqs.,  all  at  that 
time  prominent  lawyers  of  New  Haven,  who  devoted  themselves  with  such  zeal  to  its 
interests  that  it  soon  began  to  regain  its  old  reputation.  In  1871,  the  Hon.  Francis 
Wayland,  of  New  Haven,  was  added  to  the  corps  of  professors.  Under  the  new 
Faculty,  as  thus  organized,  the  school  has  become  more  prosperous,  and  the  number 
of  its  students  larger  than  ever  before.  Spacious  and  commodious  apartments  have 
been  provided,  occupying  the  whole  of  the  third  story  of  the  County  Court- House. 
The  library  has  been  much  enlarged.  Various  auxiliary  lecturers  have  been  secured, 
who  have  served  to  "  enlarge  and  broaden  the  system  of  law  training  to  a  greater 
degree  than  ever  before."  The  late  Professor  Hadley  delivered  here  his  lectures 
introductory  to  Roman  Law,  which  have  been  given  to  the  public  since  his  death. 
Dr.  Leonard  Bacon  has  lectured  on  Ecclesiastical  Law  ;  Dr.  Francis  Bacon  on  Medical 
Jurisprudence ;  Judge  Charles  J.  McCurdy  on  Insurance  ;  the  Hon.  Origen  S.  Sey- 
mour on  Judicial  Procedure  and  Practice ;  the  Hon.  La  Fayette  S.  Foster  on  Parlia- 
mentary Law  and  the  Science  of  Legislation  ;   Professor  James  M.  Hoppin  on  Forensic 


'56 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


Composition;  Frederick  H.  Betts,  Esq.,  on  Patent  Law;  and  Mr.  Mark  Bailey  on 
Forensic  Elocution.  Dr.  Woolsey,  who,  since  his  resignation  of  the  presidency  of  the 
college,  has  given  his  constant  services  to  the  school  as  a  lecturer  on  International 
Law,  said,  in  1874,  on  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  foundation  of  the  department: 
"  It  is  believed  that  nowhere  in  the  United  States  are  these  subsidiary  branches  of 
knowledge,  of  which  perhaps  the  special  pleader  or  the  drawer  of  legal  formulas  can 
afford  to  be  ignorant,  but  which,  when  known,  broaden  and  elevate  legal  study, 
bringing  it  out  of  the  dull  routine  and  dryness  of  common  practice,  as  well  as  supply- 
ing food  for  thought — I  say  that  nowhere  in  the  United  States  are  these  handmaids 
to  a  finished  legal  education  brought  more  effectually  into  the  service  of  legal  studies, 
and  made  more  useful,  than  in  the  Yale  Law  School  in  the  latest  stage  of  its 
development.  And  by  the  carrying  out  of  this  plan,  it  is  made  apparent  how  much 
more  comprehensive  and  finished  a  legal  education  ought  to  be,  when  it  is  pursued 
as  a  department  of  a  university,  than  when  it  stands  alone."  In  1878,  Mr.  Theodore 
S.  Woolsey  was  appointed  Professor  of  International  Law. 

In  the  Medical  Department,  as  the  older  professors  were  removed  by  death,  their 
places  were  supplied  for  the  most  part  by  those  who  had  been  prominent  among  their 
pupils.      In  the  chair  of  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine,  Dr.  Worthington  Hooker 

succeeded,  in  1852,  Dr.  Eli  Ives; 
and  he  was  himself  succeeded,  in 
1868,  by  Dr.  Charles  L.  Ives,  a 
grandson  of  Dr.  Eli  Ives,  one  of 
the  professors  of  the  first  Medical 
Faculty  connected  with  the  school. 
In  1873,  on  the  resignation  of  Dr. 
Charles  L.  Ives,  Dr.  David  P. 
Smith,  a  grandson  of  Dr.  Nathan 
Smith,  another  of  the  professors 
of  the  first  Medical  Faculty,  was 
appointed  to  the  chair;  and,  on 
his  being  transferred  to  the  chair 
of  Surgery  in  1877,  Dr.  Lucian 
S.  Wilcox  was  elected  to  succeed 
him.  In  the  chair  of  Surgery, 
Dr.  Francis  Bacon  succeeded,  in 
1864,  Dr.  Jonathan  Knight.  Dr. 
Bacon  resigned  in  1877,  when  his 
place  was  filled,  as  already  stated, 
by  Dr.  David  P.  Smith.  In  1853,  Professor  Benjamin  Silliman,  Jr.,  succeeded  his 
father  as  Professor  of  Chemistry.  In  1867,  Dr.  George  F.  Barker  was  appointed  to 
the  chair  of  Physiological  Chemistry  and  Toxicology;  and,  in  1856,  Dr.  Pliny  A. 
Jewett  succeeded  Dr.  Beers  as  Professor  of  Obstetrics;  and,  in  1864,  Dr.  Stephen 
G.  Hubbard  succeeded  him.      In  1838,  Dr.  Charles  Hooker  was  elected  to  the  chair  of 


MEDICAL  COLLEGE,    A.D.    1S59. 


PRESIDENT    WOOLSEY. 


157 


Anatomy  and  Physiology;  and,  on  his  death,  in  1863,  Dr.  Leonard  J.  Sanford  was 
chosen  to  fill  his  place.  In  1842,  Dr.  Henry  Bronson  was  elected  Professor  of  Materia 
Medica  and  Therapeutics;  and,  in  i860,  Dr.  Charles  A.  Lindsley  succeeded  him.  Dr. 
Moses  C.  White  was  elected  Professor  of  Histology,  Pathology,  and  Microscopy.  In 
1859,  the  old  Medical  College  at  the  head  of  College  street,  in  Grove  street,  was  sold 
to  Mr.  Joseph  Sheffield,  who  was  proposing  to  present  it  to  the  corporation  for  the 
purposes  of  the  Yale  Scientific  School,  and  a  new  Medical  College  was  erected  in  York 
street,  with  ample  and  convenient  accommodations. 

In  the  autumn  of  1866,  the  corporation  were  able  to  add  still  another  department 
to  the  college,  which  received  the  name  of  the  "  Yale  School  of  the  Fine  Arts."  Mr. 
Augustus  R.  Street  of  New  Haven,  who  had  already  been  one  of  the  largest  benefac- 
tors of  the  institution,  presented  at  this  time,  for  the  use  of  the  new  school,  a  large  and 
commodious  building  which  he  had  erected  on  the  College  Green  at  an  expense  of 
about  $200,000.  The  building  is  furnished  with  galleries  well  adapted  for  the  pur- 
poses of  an  art  museum.  There  are,  also,  lecture  rooms;  drawing,  painting,  and  mod- 
eling rooms,  designed  for  the  instruction  of  classes  ;  also  library  rooms  and  studios. 
In  1869,  Mr.  John  F.  Weir  was  elected  Professor  of  Painting  and  Design;  and  Mr. 
Daniel  C.  Eaton,  Professor  of  the  History  of  Art.  In  1871,  Mr.  John  H.  Niemeyer 
was  chosen  Professor  of  Drawing.  The  collections,  belonging  to  the  college,  and  now 
deposited  in  the  building,  embrace  the  "  Jarves  Collection  of  Italian  Art,"  number- 
ing one  hundred  and  twenty  paintings,  dating  from  the  eleventh  to  the  seventeenth 
centuries;  the  "Trumbull  Gallery,"  consisting  of  historical  paintings,  original  portraits, 
and  other  works  of  Colonel  John  Trumbull,  numbering  about  seventy-five  pictures ; 
together  with  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  casts  and  marbles,  the  former  from  many 
of  the  best  productions  of  ancient  art.  The  department  has  been  very  successful 
ever  since  its  organization ;  and  the  number  of  its  students  has  been  constantly 
increasing.  The  aim  of  those  who  have  it  in  charge  is  to  afford  to  special  art  stu- 
dents a  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  practice  and  theory  of  art ;  and  to  combine 
with  this  a  knowledge  of  its  history  and  philosophy.  The  facilities  which  are  offered 
for  these  purposes  are  unsurpassed  in  system  and  variety  by  any  art  school  in  the 
country. 

In  October,  1866,  Mr.  George  Peabody,  of  London,  gave  $150,000  to  found  "in 
connection  with  Yale  College"  a  Museum  of  Natural  History,  especially  in  the  depart- 
ments of  Zoology,  Geology,  and  Mineralogy.  Of  this  sum,  $100,000  were  to  be 
devoted  to  the  erection  of  a  fire-proof  museum  building,  adapted  to  the  present 
wants  of  these  departments  of  science,  but  planned  with  especial  reference  to  its 
subsequent  enlargement.  The  sum  of  $20,000  was  to  be  invested  and  to  accumu- 
late as  a  building  fund  until  it  should  amount  to  at  least  $100,000,  when  it  was  to 
be  employed  in  the  erection  of  one  or  more  additions  to  the  museum  and  building  ; 
and  the  remaining  portion  of  the  donation,  amounting  to  $30,000,  was  to  be  invested, 
and  the  income  from  it  expended  for  the  care  of  the  museum,  and  the  increase  of  its 
collection. 

In   1870,  a  foundation  was  made   for  the  Winchester  Observatory,  for  astronomical 


158 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


FARNAM    COLLEGE,  A.D.    1870. 


and  physical  purposes,  by  the  Hon.  ().  F.  Winchester,  who  purchased  for  the  benefit 
of  the  institution  a  tract  of  land  on  Sachem's  Ridge,  of  thirty-two  acres.  To  this  was 
added,  by  the  corporation,  an  adjacent  tract  of  six  acres  which  had  been  previously 
o-iven  to  the  college  by  Mrs.  James  A.  Hillhouse  and  her  daughters  for  an  observatory. 
The  new  buildings  which  were  erected  during  President  Woolsey's  administration 
were  not  all  for  the  use  of  the  professional  schools.     Several  important  buildings  were 

also  erected  for  the  Academical  Depart- 
ment ;  and  it  was  early  decided  that  these 
should  be  so  arranged  as  to  form  the  com- 
mencement of  a  large  quadrangle  which 
should  embrace  in  time,  as  additions  were 
made,  the  whole  college  square.  In  1853, 
Alumni  Hall  was  built  at  the  corner  of 
Elm  and  High  streets.  In  1870,  a  large 
dormitory  was  built  on  College  street,  at 
an  expense  of  $125,000,  and  named  by 
the  corporation  Farnam  College,  in  honor 
of  the  Hon.  Henry  Farnam,  a  generous 
contributor  to  the  fund  for  its  erection,  and 
in  other  ways  a  liberal  benefactor  of  the 
institution.  The  next  year,  another  dor- 
mitory was  erected  at  an  expense  of  $130,000,  on  Elm  street,  by  Mr.  Bradford  M.  C. 
Durfee,  and  was  named  by  the  corporation  Durfee  College.  These  buildings,  accord- 
ing to  the  plan  just  described,  are  all  entered  from  the  inside  of  the  quadrangle.  In 
1869,  a  large  gymnasium  was  built  on  Library  street,  at  a  cost  of  about  $13,000. 

In  1852,  according  to  the  terms  of  a  bequest  which  had  been  made  by  Mr.  David  C. 
DeForest  in  1823,  a  prize,  consisting  of  a  gold  medal  of  the  value  of  a  hundred  dollars, 
was  given,  for  the  first  time,  to  the  member  of  the  Senior  class  who  "  wrote  and  pro- 
nounced an  English  oration  in  the  best  manner." 

In  1854,  a  foundation  was  commenced  by  Mr.  Edward  E.  Salisbury,  for  a  Professor- 
ship of  Sanskrit  and  Comparative  Philology,  and  Mr.  William  D.  Whitney  was  elected 
to  fill  the  chair.  In  1870,  this  professorship  was  fully  endowed  by  Mr.  Salisbury, 
who  then  added  to  his  former  gift  so  as  to  make  the  fund  for  this  purpose  $50,000. 

With  the  increase  of  the  number  of  the  departments  connected  with  the  college, 
and  the  number  of  students,  there  is  a  corresponding  increase  in  the  topics  of  general 
interest  to  the  whole  academic  body,  but  it  is  impossible  within  these  limits  even  to 
mention  many  of  them.  It  may  be  stated,  however,  that  it  was  during  the  period  of 
the  administration  of  President  Woolsey,  in  1852,  that  the  first  intercollegiate  boat 
race  took  place  between  the  students  of  Harvard  and  Yale,  on  Lake  Winnipesaukee, 
which  resulted  in  the  victory  of  the  Harvard  crew.  From  the  time  of  this  race  is  to  be 
dated  a  great  increase  in  the  attention  which  has  been  given  by  the  students  to  boat- 
ing, to  ball  playing,  and  to  other  athletic  games. 

In  1 86 1,  the  great  civil  war  began,  which  for  four  years  absorbed  the  thoughts  of  the 


PRESIDENT    IVOOLSEY. 


159 


whole  nation.  Among  no  class  of  persons  was  greater  sympathy  felt  in  the  efforts 
which  were  put  forth  to  maintain  the  cause  of  the  Union  than  among  the  alumni  of  the 
college.  The  names  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty-eight  graduates  and  undergraduates 
were  enrolled  among  those  who  engaged  in  the  service  of  their  country,  of  whom  one 
hundred  and  six  laid  down  their  lives  during  the  progress  of  the  struggle. 

Dr.  Woolsey  resigned  the  office  of  president,  which  he  had  held  for  twenty-five 
years,  in  1871.  One  of  the  last  subjects  to  which  he  gave  his  attention,  as  president, 
was  a  change  in  the  charter  of  the  college.  This  charter  had  been  amended  in  1818, 
at  the  time  of  the  foundation  of  the  new  constitution  of  the  State,  in  such  a  way  that 
"six  senior  senators"  became  ex -officio  members  of  the  corporation  instead  of  the  "six 
senior  assistants,"  for  whose  admission  to  the  governing  board  of  the  college  provision 
had  been  made  by  the  act  of  the  legislature  in  1792.  But  for  many  years  the  six 
senators  had  rarely  attended  the  meetings  of  the  corporation,  and  had  shown  little 
interest  in  their  proceedings.  President  Woolsey  accordingly,  in  1866,  proposed,  in 
an  article  published  in  the  New  Englander,  another  change,  according  to  which  the 
legislature  should  relinquish  its  right  to  be  represented  in  the  corporation  in  favor  of 
six  representative  graduates  who  should  be  elected  by  their  fellow  graduates  in  such  a 
way  that  one  vacancy  should  occur  each  year.  In  1871,  Governor  Jewell  recom- 
mended the  proposition  of  President  Woolsey  to  the  legislature,  and  it  at  once  received 
their  sanction  ;  so  that,  at  present,  the  annual  vacancy  which  occurs  is  filled  by  the 
election  of  a  graduate  who  is  to  serve  six  years.  These  representative  members  of  the 
corporation,  for  the  collegiate  year  1876-77,  are  Hon.  Alphonso  Taft,  Hon.  William  M. 
Evarts,  Hon.  William  B.  Washburn,  Hon.  Henry  B.  Harrison,  Hon.  William  Walter 
Phelps,  and  Mason  Young,  Esq.  The  presence  of  these  distinguished  graduates  in 
the  governing  board  of  the  college,  it  is  thought,  will  give  the  alumni  hereafter 
additional  confidence  in  the  wisdom  of  all  the  proceedings  of  the  corporation. 


DURFEE   COLLEGE,    A.D.    1871. 


BATTELL  CHAPEL,    A.D.    1S75. 

CHAPTER    XII. 


REV.    NOAH  PORTER,  D.D.,   PRESIDENT,  A.D.    1871. 

Conservative  Character  of  the  College. — New  Buildings. — Additions  to  the  Corps  of 
Instructors. — The  College  attains  the  Form  of  a  University. — The  Dream  of  John  Davenport 
is  realized. 

Professor  Noah  Porter,  who  was  chosen  to  succeed  Dr.  Woolsey  on  his  resig- 
nation, was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Noah  Porter,  D.D.,  of  Farmington,  Connecticut,  one  of 
the  most  honored  of  the  clergymen  of  the  State,  who  had  been  a  Fellow  of  the  college 
for  thirty-nine  years,  from  1823  to  1862,  and  much  of  that  time  intimately  concerned  in 
its  administration  as  a  member  of  the  Prudential  Committee.  He  was  also  the  son- 
in-law  of  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  W.  Taylor,  D.D.,  the  eminent  Professor  of  Didactic  The- 
ology, with  whose  theological  views  he  had  always  been  in  substantial  harmony. 

President  Porter  graduated  in  the  class  of  183T,  and  had  then  continued  his  studies 
in  the  Theological  Department  of  the  college.  In  1833,  he  received  an  appointment 
as  tutor.  After  serving  in  that  office  for  two  years,  he  became  the  pastor  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  in  New  Milford,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained  from  183610  1843. 
He  was  then  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  in  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  from 
1843  to  1846,  in  which  year  he  resumed  his  connection  with  the  college  as  Clark  Pro- 
fessor of  Metaphysics  and  Moral  Philosophy.  This  professorship  he  had  filled  for 
twenty-five  years,  when  he  was  elected  President. 

During  all  the  period  of  his  connection  with  the  college  he  had  been  a  frequent 
contributor  to  many  of  the  leading  periodicals  on  philosophical  and  literary  subjects, 
and  was  the  author  of  several  volumes  on  various  subjects,  prominent  among  which 
was  a  treatise  on  "The  Human  Intellect."  He  was  also  the  principal  editor  of  the 
edition  of  Webster's  "American  Dictionary  of  the  English  Language,"  which  was  pub- 
lished in  1864. 

Dr.  Porter  was  inaugurated  President  October  11,  1871  ;  and  it  may  be  mentioned 
in  evidence  of  the  conservative  character  of  the  college,  that,  though  it  had  now  been 
in  existence  for  a  period  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  years,  yet  during  this  time  there 

160 


Jptia 


PRESIDENT  PORTER.  1$I 

had  been  but  ten  occupants  of  the  presidential  chair.  President  Porter  was  in 
thorough  sympathy  with  the  principles  which  had  characterized  the  college  from  its 
foundation.  His  election  was  a  guarantee  that  the  college  was  still  to  maintain  its 
conservative  attitude  in  respect  to  all  the  educational  questions  which  were  attracting 
attention  ;  that  it  was  still  to  maintain  its  character  as  a  bulwark  of  the  Christian 
religion  and  of  all  sound  learning. 

During  the  six  years  in  which  President  Porter  has  been  in  office,  the  college  has 
enjoyed  unprecedented  prosperity.  Additional  buildings  have  been  erected  at  a  cost 
of  over  half  a  million  of  dollars ;  the  Battell  Chapel,  at  an  expense  of  nearly  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  named  after  Mr.  Joseph  Battell,  of  New  York,  the  principal 
donor ;  West  Divinity  Hall,  for  the  use  of  the  Theological  Department,  at  an  expense 
of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  ;  North  Sheffield  Hall,  erected 
by  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Sheffield,  for  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School,  at  an  expense  of 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars  ;  and  the  Peabody  Museum,  at  an  expense  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

Large  additions  have  been  made,  also,  to  the  corps  of  instructors,  who  now,  for  the 
academical  year  1876-77,  are  ninety  in  number. 

But  it  is  not  proposed  to  give  any  particular  account  of  the  various  events  which 
have  taken  place  since  the  accession  of  President  Porter.  This  historical  sketch  will 
appropriately  close  with  a  reference  to  a  resolution  which  was  adopted  by  the  corpo- 
ration at  the  commencement  of  the  administration  of  President  Porter,  March  23,  1872. 
It  attracted  little  attention  at  the  time  outside  of  the  immediate  circle  of  the  officers 
of  the  institution,  but  it  marks  the  commencement  of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the 
college. 

The  language  of  the  resolution  is  as  follows : 

"  Whereas,  Yale  College  has,  by  the  successive  establishment  of  the  various  departments  of  instruction, 
attained  to  the  form  of  a  university  : 

"Resolved,  That  it  be  recognized  as  comprising  the  four  departments  of  which  a  university  is  commonly 
understood  to  consist,  viz.,  the  Department  of  Theology,  of  Law,  of  Medicine,  and  of  Philosophy  and  the 
Arts. 

"Resolved,  That  the  Department  of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts  be  recognized  as  comprising,  in  addition  to  the 
School  of  the  Fine  Arts,  the  three  Faculties  which  severally  instruct  the  members  of  the  university  who  are 
prosecuting  their  studies  as  candidates  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts, 
or  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy." 

No  change  is  here  made  in  the  name  of  the  institution.  It  is  still  "Yale  College." 
The  legal  designation  of  the  corporation  remains  as  before,  "  The  President  and  Fellows 
of  Yale  College,  in  New  Haven;"  but  there  is  in  the  language  of  these  resolutions  a 
recognition  that  the  ancient  institution  of  learning,  which,  as  we  have  shown,  owes  its 
origin  to  the  efforts  of  the  first  minister  of  New  Haven,  John  Davenport,  and  of  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  "First  Church,"  James  Pierpont,  and  which  was  constituted  a  "collegiate 
school"  by  the  legislature  of  Connecticut,  in  1701,  had  at  last  become  in  reality  a  Uni- 
versity. The  dream  of  the  exiled  Puritan  minister  of  St.  Stephen's,  Coleman  street, 
London,  of  planting  "  a  Christian  State  "  in  the  New  World,  "  founded  on  intelligence 

VOL.  I. — 21 


l62 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


and  justice,"  which  two  hundred  and  forty  years  before  had  roused  his  enthusiasm  in 
Amsterdam,  was  fully  realized.  As  the  result  of  his  untiring  efforts,  a  city  of  sixty  thou- 
sand inhabitants  covers  the  broad  plain  which  he  selected  to  be  the  site  of  his  enter- 
prise. On  every  side  are  the  evidences  that  "intelligence  and  justice"  are  still  the 
foundations  of  its  prosperity.  On  the  public  square  still  stands  the  historic  place  of 
worship  of  the  congregation  to  which  he  first  ministered.  On  one  side  rise  the  halls  of 
justice,  where  a  code  of  laws  is  administered  which  is  in  the  highest  sense  Christian ; 
and  on  the  other  stand  the  crowded  buildings  of  an  institution  of  learning  which  bears 
the  name  of  a  son  of  one  of  his  own  friends  and  parishioners — an  institution  of  learning 
whose  chosen  motto  is  "Lux  et  Veritas"  and  which  is  second  to  no  other  in  the  work 
which  it  has  done  for  the  spread  of  "  Light  and  Truth"  over  the  whole  continent. 

Diu  fioreat  alma  mater  Yalensia! 


PEA1SODY    MUSEUM    (WHEN    COMPLETED). 


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ANCIENT    DIPLOMAS. 


COLLEGE   SEAL. 


THE    CORPORATION. 


BY  LEONARD  BACON,  D.D. 


Charter  of  1701. — The  Founders  incorporated,  and  they  and  their  Successors  made  Trustees. — 
Proceedings  under  the  Charter. — Hiatus  in  the  Records. — Conflict  among  the  Trustees. — Hart- 
ford Schism,  and  Wethersfield  Cave  of  Adullam.- — Reconciliation. — Act  of  1723  in  Explanation  and 
Amendment  of  the  Charter. — Difficulty  in  obtaining  a  Successor  to    Rector  Cutler. — Attempts  to 

REMOVE    OBNOXIOUS    MEMBERS    FROM    THE     BOARD. JOSEPH    NOYES. CHARTER    OF    I  745. —  ElIZUR    GOODRICH. 

Charter  modified  in  1792. — The  Six  Senior  Senators  superseded  by  Six  elected  Graduates  in  1872. 

The  history  of  the  college  is  itself  the  history  of  the  corporation.  Yet  some  notices 
of  how  the  incorporated  board  has  discharged  its  trust ;  what  have  been  its  methods  of 
transacting  business  ;  by  what  influences  it  has  been  guided ;  and  who,  in  successive 
generations,  have  been  conspicuous  among  its  members,  may  be  brought  together  in 
this  place,  without  any  tedious  repetition  of  what  is  said  elsewhere. 

No  records  remain  of  any  proceedings  or  consultations  prior  to  the  charter.  The 
earliest  entry  in  the  book  of  records  is  dated  November  11,  1701.  Seven  of  the  ten 
named  in  the  charter  as  "  Trustees,  Partners,  or  Undertakers,"  were  present.  That 
the  aged  James  Noyes,  of  Stonington,  was  absent  is  easily  explained  without  supposing 
that  he  was  not  actively  interested  in  the  enterprise.  That  Samuel  Mather,  of  Windsor, 
and  Timothy  Woodbridge,  of  Hartford,  were  also  absent,  suggests  a  doubt  whether 
that  portion  of  the  colony  which  they  in  some  sort  represented  had  as  yet  taken  any 
very  active  part  in  the  movement.  At  that  meeting,  the  first  act  of  the  trustees  was 
(after  a  recital  of  "  the  glorious  public  design  of  our  now  blessed  fathers,  in  their 
removal  from  Europe  into  these  parts  of  America  ")  to  "  order  and  appoint  that  there 
shall  be,  and  hereby  is  erected  and  formed  a  collegiate  school  wherein  shall  be 
taught  the  liberal  arts  and  languages,  in  such  place  or  places  in  Connecticut "  as  the 
trustees  "shall  from  time  to  time  see  cause  to  order."  Those  present  and  concurring 
in  this  act  were,  in  the  order  of  seniority,  Israel  Chauncy,  of  Stratford,  Thomas  Buck- 
ingham, of  Saybrook,  Abraham  Pierson,  of  Kenilworth  (now  Clinton),  Samuel  Andrew, 
of  Milford,   James   Pierpont,    of   New   Haven,   Noadiah    Russel,    of   Middletown,    and 

163 


!64  VALE  COLLEGE. 

Joseph  Webb,  of  Fairfield — six  of  them  pastors  of  churches  along  the  Sound  from 
Fairfield  to  Saybrook,  and  the  seventh  a  New  Haven  man,  pastor  at  Middletown,  a 
few  miles  up  the  river.  Yet  the  place  of  that  first  meeting  of  the  corporation  was  not 
appreciably  further  or  less  accessible  from  Windsor  than  from  Milford,  nor  from  Hart- 
ford than  from  New  Haven. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  as  characteristic  of  those  men,  and  as  indicating  the  intelli- 
gent carefulness  of  their  procedure,  that  they  so  explicitly  put  themselves  upon  record 
as  Founders  of  the  proposed  Collegiate  School.  That  they  were,  in  the  legal  sense, 
the  Founders,  and  intended  to  secure  for  themselves  and  their  successors  the  rights  of 
Founders,  appears  not  merely  from  the  tradition  of  that  meeting  at  Branford  in  1700, 
when  books  were  given,  formally  and  expressly,  for  the  "  founding  "  of  such  an  institu- 
tion, but  also  from  the  preamble  to  the  legislative  act  of  incorporation,  which  says  that 
"several  well-disposed  and  public-spirited  persons"  have  made  petition  "that  full 
liberty  and  privilege  be  granted  unto  certain  undertakers  for  the  founding,  suitably 
endowing,  and  ordering  a  collegiate  school  ;  "  and  in  the  act  itself,  which  concedes 
"  full  liberty,  right,  and  privilege  "  for  that  purpose  to  the  ten  persons  therein  named, 
"  being  reverend  ministers  of  the  gospel  and  inhabitants  within  the  said  colony,  pro- 
posed to  stand  as  trustees,  partners,  or  undertakers  for  said  school."  Therefore,  and 
to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  the  first  thing  done  by  the  trustees,  after  the  colonial 
legislature  had  made  them  a  corporation,  and  had  granted  them  "  full  liberty,  right, 
and  privilege,"  was  just  that  which  they  had  already  begun  to  do  as  individual  citizens. 
Having  been  incorporated  by  the  colonial  government,  and  empowered  to  do  that  very 
thing,  they  used  words  of  authority:  "We  do  order  and  appoint  that  there  shall  be, 
and  hereby  is  erected  and  formed  a  collegiate  school."  So  carefully  did  the  Founders 
of  the  institution  which  has  become  Yale  College  provide  for  its  independence  of 
political  control.  The  State  (for  so  we  may,  by  anticipation,  call  the  colonial  common- 
wealth) was  from  the  beginning  a  benefactor  of  the  institution,  and  had  all  the  influ- 
ence naturally  belonging  to  a  benefactor,  but  has  never  had  the  rights  of  a  Founder. 
It  has  ever  been  understood  that  Yale  College,  though  patronized  by  the  State,  and 
entrusted  with  certain  public  functions,  is  not  a  State  university.  The  successors  of 
the  original  "Trustees,  Partners,  or  Undertakers  for  the  Collegiate  School,"  have 
always  guarded  its  independence  of  legislative  intermeddling.* 

Having  by  their  fiat  instituted  a  collegiate  school,  the  trustees  proceeded  to  enact 
rules  for  their  own  guidance  as  a  corporation ;  and  then  (apparently  at  a  subsequent 
sitting,  though  bearing  the  same  date  in  the  record),  they  established  a  body  of  laws 
for  the  regulation  of  the  school.     They  had  determined  that  the  head  of  the  institution, 

*  The  considerations  which  probably  induced  that  carefulness  in  the  founding  of  the  institution  are  indicated  in  another 
chapter  (page  21).  We  can  hardly  suppose  on  the  part  of  the  "  well-disposed  and  public-spirited  persons"  who  had  been 
active  in  the  enterprise,  any  jealousy  of  the  colonial  government  as  it  then  existed.  Their  fear  was  that  the  British  Parliament 
might  abolish  all  the  colonial  governments  in  New  England  "at  one  fell  swoop  ;"  and  that,  in  place  of  the  Puritan  republic 
with  its  annually  elected  Governor  and  its  General  Assembly,  there  might  come  a  royal  government,  bringing  with  it,  as  of 
course,  the  Church  of  England  and  all  the  ecclesiastical  laws  and  courts  of  England.  So  it  seemed  wise,  in  founding  a 
college  for  Connecticut,  that  the  rights  which  by  the  common  law  belong  to  the  founder  of  a  charity,  should  belong  not 
to  the  colonial  government  (as  in  the  case  of  Harvard  College),  but  to  the  "  Trustees,  Partners,  or  Undertakers,"  and  their 
successors. 


THE   CORPORATION. 


165 


and  its  chief  instructor,  should  be  entitled  Rector ;  for,  as  they  did  not  choose,  in  those 
uncertain  times,  to  attract  too  much  attention  by  calling  their  humble  seminary  a 
college,  so  they  did  not  venture  to  place  over  it  so  much  of  a  dignitary  as  a  President 
might  seem  to  be.  Accordingly,  they  invited  one  of  their  own  number,  the  Rev. 
Israel  Chauncy,  who  had  been  for  thirty-five  years  pastor  of  the  church  in  Stratford, 
"under  the  name  and  character  of  Rector,  to  take  the  care  of  instructing  and  ordering 
the  said  Collegiate  School,"  and  to  remove  from  Stratford  to  Saybrook.  He  bore  a 
distinguished  name ;  his  father,  Charles  Chauncy,  once  Professor  of  Greek  at  Cam- 
bridge in  England,  had  been  renowned  in  New  England  as  President  of  Harvard 
College  ;  and  brothers  of  his  had  been,  and  still  were,  eminent  in  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel  and  in  the  medical  profession,  some  in  this  country  and  some  in  England.  But 
in  consideration  of  his  age  (fifty-seven  years)  he  declined  the  invitation.  The  choice 
then  fell  upon  Abraham  Pierson,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Kenilworth,  who,  not  with- 
out some  deliberation,  accepted  the  office,  and  accordingly  his  name  is  inscribed  on  the 
base  of  the  statue  which  exhibits  the  artist's  idea  of  what  the  first  President  of  Yale 
College  ought  to  have  been.  The  only  promise  of  salary  to  the  Rector  was,  "  He 
shall  be  recompensed  with  honorable  allowance  for  his  labor." 

The  names  of  ten  trustees  were  in  the  charter,  with  the  provision  that  there  might 
be  eleven.  It  seems  to  have  been  expected  that  the  head  of  the  college  would  also  be 
one  of  the  trustees  ;  and  now  that  one  of  them  had  been  made  Rector,  they  filled  the 
vacant  place  by  electing  Samuel  Russel,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Branford,  who  had 
been  concerned  in  the  preliminary  consultations,  and  at  whose  house,  according  to 
accepted  tradition,  the  meeting  was  held  which  began,  by  donations  of  books,  the 
actual  founding  of  a  collegiate  school.  Of  the  eleven,  all  save  one  were  graduates 
of  Harvard  College.  The  exception  was  Thomas  Buckingham,  who  seems  to  have 
been  educated  at  the  "  Colony  School  "  or  "  small  college,"  which  (as  has  been  shown 
in  a  former  chapter)  was  sustained  in  New  Haven  for  a  series  of  years,  and  was 
"laid  down"  in  1662.*  James  Noyes,  the  oldest  of  the  ten,  was  a  graduate  of  the 
year  1659;  Joseph  Webb,  the  youngest,  was  in  the  class  of  1684.  Samuel  Andrew 
was  not  only  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  but  had  been  a  "  Fellow  "  there,  which  means 
that  he  had  been  employed  in  the  instruction  and  government  of  that  college. 
Such  was  the  relation  of  the  new  college  in  Connecticut  to  the  old  one  in  Massa- 
chusetts. 

Harvard  College  had  its  beginning,  as  all  remember,  in  the  earliest  years  of  the 
Massachusetts  colony.  Its  founders,  its  officers,  the  students  of  its  early  classes,  were 
all  from  old  England.  When  it  held  its  first  Commencement,  which  was  in  1642,  the 
first-born  of  English  parents  in  New  England  (Peregrine  White,  of  Plymouth)  was 
only  twenty-one  years  of  age.  The  fact  that  the  founders  of  Yale  were  graduates  of 
Harvard  may  seem,  at  first  thought,  to  imply  a  great  distance  between  those  two  gen- 
erations.    But,  in  truth,  the  eleven  founders  of  the  Collegiate  School  in  Connecticut 

*  In  the  act  of  incorporation,  and  on  the  Triennial  Catalogue,  the  names  of  the  original  trustees  are  arranged  in  the  order 
of  academic  seniority,  that  is,  according  to  the  date  of  each  man's  graduation, — Thomas  Buckingham  being  placed  between 
Israel  Chauncy  a  graduate  of  1661,  and  Abraham  Pierson  of  1668. 


.66  YALE  COLLEGE. 

were,   with  one  doubtful  exception,  the  sons  of  fathers  who  came  over  in  the  great 
migration  of  Puritans  from  the  mother  country.* 

That  first  meeting  of  the  incorporated  board  was  evidently  a  laborious  one.  It 
ended  with  a  vote  that  the  next  meeting  should  be  in  New  Haven,  "some  time  in 
April,  on  the  call  of  Mr.  Pierpont."  Accordingly  the  next  entry  in  the  record-book 
shows  that  the  same  trustees,  with  the  addition  of  Samuel  Russel,  eight  in  all,  met — 
"New  Haven,  April  8,  1702," — probably  in  Mr.  Pierpont's  house,  which  fronted  the 
public  square,  at  what  is  now  the  eastern  corner  of  Elm  and  Temple  streets.  A  note- 
worthy item  in  the  record  of  that  meeting,  is  that  "the  late  treasurer,  Mr.  Richard 
Rosewell  [of  New  Haven],  being  deceased,  John  Ailing,  Esq.,  of  New  Haven,"  was 
appointed  to  the  vacant  office.  Already,  though  the  Collegiate  School  was  nominally 
in  Saybrook,  while  the  students  were  instructed  in  the  house  of  the  Rector  at  Kenil- 
worth,  its  financial  affairs  were  beginning  to  center  at  its  predestined  seat,  for  even 
then  its  heart  was  there. 

No  mention  of  the  first  Commencement  (that  of  1702,  when  Nathaniel  Chauncy 
was  the  solitary  alumnus  to  receive  a  degree)  appears  on  the  records  of  the  corpo- 
ration— an  omission  which  may  be  understood  as  implying  that  the  degree  was  con- 
ferred, not  by  vote  of  the  trustees,  but  by  the  Rector,  pro  auctoritatc  Mi  commissa. 
But,  on  the  30th  of  September,  1 702 — not  far,  certainly,  from  the  date  of  that  Com- 
mencement— a  meeting  was  held  at  Kenilworth,  the  same  eight  members  and  one 
more,  namely,  James  Noyes,  being  present.  The  "  shore  line  "  interest,  as  yet,  was 
exclusively  represented.  At  Guilford,  "Mar.  18,  170!,  Timothy  Woodbridge  was 
present,  and  Hartford  was  represented  for  the  first  time  under  the  charter.  One  of 
the  eleven  had  been  removed  by  death ;  and  Rev.  Moses  Noyes,  of  Lyme,  a  younger 
brother  and  college  classmate  of  James,  was  "  desired  to  accept  the  office  of  a  trustee 
in  the  room  of  Mr.  Chauncy,  late  deceased."  A  meeting  without  a  quorum  was  held, 
"Saybrook,  Sep.  15,  1703,"  and  the  minutes  (with  no  mention  of  the  second  Com- 
mencement, which  must  have  been  at  that  time)  were  subscribed  by  Pierson  (whose 
dignity  as  Rector  gave  him  precedence),  Buckingham,  M.  Noyes,  and  N.  Russel.  But 
the  usage  was  not  yet  settled,  for,  in  the  list  of  those  present  at  the  next  meeting 
"  Bran  ford,  Feb.  22,  170!,"  Buckingham  stands  first,  and  Pierson  second,  seniority 
taking  precedence  of  rectoral  dignity.  At  that  meeting  Woodbridge  was  present 
again,  having  traveled  further  in  that  unpleasant  season  than  any  other  of  the  seven 
who  made  a  quorum — a  fact  which  seems  to  indicate  that  on  the  river  there  was  at 
least  beginning  to  be  some  active  interest  in  the  enterprise. 

After  the  date  last  mentioned,  there  follows,  in  the  record-book,  hiatus  valdc  dcflcn- 

*  James  Noyes,  Abraham  Pierson,  Israel  Chauncy,  and  Timothy  Woodbridge  were  sons  of  eminent  divines  who  came  to 
New  England  between  1634  and  1639.  Samuel  Mather,  grandson  of  "  glorious  old  Richard,"  nephew  of  famous  Increase,  and 
cousin  of  preposterously  pedantic  Cotton,  was  a  son  of  Timothy,  who  came  from  England  with  his  father  in  1635.  The  father 
of  Thomas  Buckingham  (Thomas,  of  Milford),  the  father  of  James  Pierpont  (John,  of  Roxbury),  the  father  of  Noadiah  Russel 
(William,  of  New  Haven),  the  father  of  Samuel  Russel  (Rev.  John,  of  Hadley),  and  the  father  of  Samuel  Andrew  (Samuel,  of 
Cambridge),  came  to  New  England  in  youth  or  childhood,  with  their  fathers,  at  different  dates  before  1640.  It  is  not  certainly 
known,  but  it  may  fairly  be  presumed,  concerning  the  father  of  Joseph  Webb  (Joseph,  of  Stamford),  that  he  was  born  in  Eng- 
land. Traditions  of  the  mother  country  and  of  ancestral  homes  must  have  had  something  of  the  freshness  of  living  memory  in 
the  boyhood  of  even  the  youngest  among  those  founders. 


THE  CORPORATION. 


167 


dus.  For  more  than  twenty  years  the  minutes  or  "  memoirs  "  of  the  meetings  were 
kept  on  file  without  being  transcribed  for  preservation,  and  were  authenticated  by  the 
signatures  of  those  trustees  who  concurred  in  what  was  done,  though  in  one  instance 
(a  meeting  in  which  there  was  no  quorum)  the  signature  was  "  By  order  of  the  Rev. 
Trustees  present,  James  Pierpont."  In  1723,  a  legislative  act  explanatory  of  and 
additional  to  the  charter,  gave  to  the  trustees  authority  "to  choose  and  appoint  a  clerk 
who  shall,  in  a  fair  book  prepared  for  that  end,  register  and  carefully  preserve  the 
acts"  of  the  corporation.  The  "fair  book  prepared  for  that  end"  is  the  one  from 
which  the  foregoing  quotations  have  been  made.  Beginning  with  a  transcript  of  the 
charter,  it  gives  a  record  of  proceedings  down  to  February,  1 704 ;  and  at  that  point 
the  transcriber  (perhaps  because  he  had  observed  just  there  an  allusion  to  an  unre- 
corded meeting  in  the  September  preceding)  left  several  pages  blank,  and  passed  on 
to  the  date  "Oct.  30,  171  7."  Some  of  the  "memoirs"  thus  omitted  by  the  transcriber 
are  still  on  file ;  and  from  them,  as  well  as  from  other  sources  of  information,  it  appears 
that  the  period  of  more  than  thirteen  years,  represented  by  blank  pages  in  the  book, 
was  a  time  of  conflict  and  uncertainty.  At  times,  especially  toward  the  end  of  that 
period,  the  corporation  was  a  house  divided  against  itself.  Nothing  could  be  really 
settled  so  long  as  the  institution  itself  had  no  fixed  abode.  A  Collegiate  School 
dispersed  over  the  colony — the  Rector  at  Kenilworth  or  at  Milford,  a  tutor  or  two  at 
Saybrook,  the  trustees  meeting  here  and  there  at  each  other's  houses,  the  students 
distributed  between  the  Rector  and  the  tutors — could  not  thrive.  Saybrook  seems  to 
have  been  chosen  as  the  temporary  and  possibly  permanent  seat  of  the  college, 
because  there  was  the  intersection  of  the  shore  line  with  the  line  of  towns  along  the 
river.  Discontent  with  the  insufficient  accommodations  there,  and  with  the  tutors  who 
were  the  only  resident  officers,  arose  among  the  few  students,  and  especially  among 
those  "who  lived  near  Hartford  and  Wethersfield,"  and  who  said  (and,  as  President 
Clap  intimates,  were  prompted  from  home  to  say)  "that  it  was  a  hardship  for  them  to 
be  obliged  to  reside  at  Saybrook  when  they  could  as  well  or  better  be  instructed 
nearer  home."  By  such  complaints  the  trustees,  at  a  meeting  in  April,  17 16,  were 
induced,  unsuspectingly,  to  consent  that  students  might  place  themselves  elsewhere, 
under  instructors  of  their  own  choice,  till  the  Commencement,  in  September.  The 
majority  of  the  three  lower  classes  (the  Seniors  being  with  the  Rector)  went  up  the 
river  to  Wethersfield,  and  were  instructed  by  Mr.  Elisha  Williams,  who  was  probably  a 
more  gifted  teacher  than  any  who  had  taught  them  at  Saybrook. 

So  began  the  attempt  to  remove  the  college  from  what  might  have  been,  perhaps, 
its  permanent  seat.  It  would  be  rash  to  say  that  there  was  an  up-river  plot  to  convey 
the  institution,  with  all  its  hopes,  by  a  sudden  movement,  away  from  its  original  and 
steadfast  friends  along  the  sea-shore.  But  when  a  majority  of  the  undergraduate 
students  had  been  enlisted  for  Wethersfield,  another  step  was  taken.  At  that  time  the 
two  ministers  of  Hartford  were  Woodbridge,  in  the  First  Church,  a  trustee  from  the 
beginning ;  and  Buckingham,  in  the  Second  Church,  a  nephew  of  the  founder  Bucking- 
ham, and  a  trustee  since  1707.  When  the  trustees  gave  their  consent  to  a  temporary 
dispersion  of  the  students,  the  General  Assembly  of  the  colony  was  soon  to  meet ;  and 


1 68  YALE  COLLEGE. 

to  that  body  (at  Hartford,  in  May)  the  two  Hartford  trustees  brought  a  petition  for 
the  removal  of  the  college  to  that  town.  Hartford,  they  said,  was  more  central  to  the 
colony  than  Saybrook,  and  would  attract  more  students  than  any  other  place,  especially 
as  the  neighboring  towns  were  comparatively  populous  and  prosperous.  Hartford 
people,  and  some  others  well  disposed,  had  promised,  by  their  subscriptions,  a  sum  of 
between  six  and  seven  hundred  pounds,  and  would  probably  increase  the  amount  to  a 
thousand  pounds,  if  the  Collegiate  School  should  be  settled  there.  Hardly  has  there 
been,  in  the  history  of  the  institution,  a  more  critical  moment  than  when  that  petition 
was  brought  to  the  Colonial  Legislature.  By  the  charter  it  had  been  distinctly 
provided  that  the  Collegiate  School  should  be  established  "in  such  convenient  place  or 
places"  as  to  the  trustees  should  "seem  meet  and  most  conducive  to  the  end  thereof." 
Doubtless  the  General  Assembly  might  have  complied  with  the  request  which  the  two 
trustees  residing  in  Hartford  had  made  without  the  concurrence  of  their  colleagues  in 
the  trust,  and  the  corporation  having  no  appeal  but  to  the  king  might  have  been  com- 
pelled to  acquiesce.  What  would  the  consequences  have  been  ?  First  of  all  (and 
perhaps  most  interesting  to  the  purchasers  and  readers  of  this  book,  as  well  as  to  the 
writers),  there  would  have  been  no  Yale  Book  ;  because,  whatever  the  school  might 
have  become  after  such  an  interference,  it  never  would  have  become  Yale  College.  It 
was  Elihu  Yale's  interest  in  New  Haven  which  made  him  a  benefactor  of  the  nascent 
college  when  its  local  habitation  had  been  fixed  in  the  town  where  his  father  had  been 
one  of  the  first  planters,  and  where  his  family  had  been  most  conspicuous.  In  the 
next  place  a  precedent  would  have  been  set  for  perpetual  intermeddling  by  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  and  the  trustees,  having  been  once  overruled  by  the  political  power, 
would  have  lost  their  legitimate  control  of  the  institution  which  they  had  founded. 

Happily  the  attempt  was  unsuccessful.  Although  the  legislature  entertained  the 
petition,  and  called  upon  the  trustees  to  show  "  their  difficulties  and  what  might  be  by 
them  thought  expedient  to  be  done,"  nothing  was  concluded  at  that  session.  Some  of 
the  trustees,  acting  individually,  had  appeared  in  answer  to  the  call,  and  had  per- 
suaded the  Assembly  to  postpone  the  matter  till  the  October  session  at  New  Haven, 
at  the  same  time  promising,  inconsiderately,  that  unless  the  corporation  should  decide 
the  question,  unanimously,  at  the  next  Commencement,  the  Assembly  should  be  invited 
to  determine  the  location  of  the  college.  Of  course  there  was  no  unanimity  on  the 
question  at  Commencement ;  and  of  course  the  assembled  corporation  denied  that  it 
was  bound  by  any  promise  of  individual  members  to  put  its  proper  business  out  of  its 
own  control.  The  meeting  was  adjourned  from  Saybrook,  September  12,  to  New 
Haven,  October  17,  which  was  Thursday.  At  the  adjourned  meeting  there  were 
present  Moses  Noyes,  of  Lyme,  Andrew,  of  Milford,  Woodbridge,  of  Hartford,  Russel, 
of  Branford,  Webb,  of  Fairfield,  Davenport,  of  Stamford,  Buckingham,  of  Hartford, 
and  Ruggles,  of  Guilford.  James  Noyes,  of  Stonington  (aged  and  infirm),  and  Samuel 
Mather,  of  Windsor  (long  bedrid),  were  absent,  and  there  was  one  vacancy.  Mr.  Noyes 
was  Moderator,  and  Mr.  Davenport,  Scribe.  The  minutes  of  that  meeting  (never  yet 
transcribed  into  the  Record-book)  remain  in  the  archives  of  the  corporation,  and  to 
those  who  can  "read  between  the  lines"  they  are  full  of  meaning. 


THE  CORPORATION.  169 

In  the  meeting  at  Commencement,  the  question  raised  at  Hartford  in  May — the 
great  question  concerning  the  permanent  location  of  the  college — had  been  considered 
but  not  decided,  and  this  adjourned  meeting  was  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  it. 
Meanwhile  efforts  had  been  made  to  influence  the  decision  by  subscriptions  of  money 
in  favor  of  various  places.  About  five  hundred  pounds  sterling  had  been  pledged  for 
the  establishment  of  the  institution  at  Saybrook,  "  considerable  sums  "  in  favor  of 
putting  it  at  Hartford  or  Wethersfield  (where  a  part  of  the  students  were  already 
quartered),  and  about  seven  hundred  pounds  to  secure  its  removal  to  New  Haven. 
Such  being  the  state  of  affairs,  the  reverend  trustees  encountered  the  main  question  in 
this  somewhat  incondite  form  : 

"Whether  considering  the  difficulty  of  continuing  the  Collegiate  School  of  Connecticut  colony  at  Saybrook 
appearing  to  ns,  we  the  trustees  of  said  school  agree  that  the  said  school  be  now  removed  from  Saybrook  to 
New  Haven,  and  that  the  said  Collegiate  School  be  settled  at  New  Haven  as  a  very  convenient  place  for  it, 
and  [the  one]  for  which  the  most  liberal  donations  are  given  appearing  to  us — as  well  as  many  other  consider- 
ations ;  and  it  is  now  settled  at  New  Haven  accordingly  ?  " 

Probably  there  was  much  talking  before  the  vote  was  taken  ;  for  the  session  was 
prolonged  from  Thursday  to  Saturday,  and  was  then  adjourned  till  Monday  afternoon. 
But  following  the  statement  of  the  first  and  main  question  (as  just  copied)  is  the 
minute  : 

"The  question  thus  resolved  and  voted  for  viva  voce.  For  it,  Mr.  Ruggles,  Mr.  Davenport,  Mr.  Webb, 
Mr.  Russel,  and  Mr.  Andrew.  Against  it,  Mr.  Buckingham  and  Mr.  Woodbridge.  Mr.  Noyes,  Moderator, 
declares  he  doth  not  see  the  necessity  of  removing  the  school  from  Saybrook,  but  if  it  must  be  removed  from 
Saybrook,  his  mind  is  that  it  be  settled  at  New  Haven." 

On  the  margin,  in  pale  ink,  but  with  untrembling  hand,  Mr.  James  Noyes,  the 
senior  member  of  the  corporation,  recorded  under  the  date  "Dec.  19,  1716,"  his 
consent,  "  upon  well  weighing  the  case,  to  the  above  act  of  the  trustees."  Perhaps  his 
favorable  opinion  of  that  place  had  received  some  confirmation  from  the  fact  that,  four 
months  before  the  decision  to  which  he  consented,  his  son  Joseph  (a  graduate  of  1  709, 
and  tutor  from  1710  to  171 5)  was  ordained  there  as  the  successor  of  James  Pierpont  in 
the  pastoral  care  of  a  church  which  had  not  yet  lost  its  eminence  among  the  churches 
of  the  colony.  At  the  adjourned  meeting  on  Monday,  another  question  was  taken  up 
and  answered  as  follows  : 

"Whether  the  trustees  here  convened  do  judge  it  convenient*  that  application  be  made  by  said  trustees  to 
the  General  Assembly  to  nominate  the  place  of  the  Collegiate  School  of  this  colony,  when  the  trustees  on  this 
present  meeting,  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  the  trust  reposed  in  them,  and  in  exerting  of  the  power  com- 
mitted to  them  by  the  act  for  said  school,  have  already  settled  the  said  school  at  New  Haven. 

"For  the  negative,  Mr.  Ruggles,  Mr.  Davenport,  Mr.  Webb,  Mr.  Russel,  Mr.  Andrew.  [James  Noyes's 
'  consent '  interlined  in  his  pale  ink,   'Dec.  19,  171 6.'] 

*  The  word  "  convenient"  is  used  advisedly  in  this  connection  ;  for  it  is  courteous,  yet  significant.  It  is  used  in  a  sense 
now  obsolete — the  sense  which  it  has  in  certain  passages  of  the  English  New  Testament — as  when  the  Apostle  Paul  says 
[Philem.  3] :  "  I  might  ....  enjoin  thee  that  which  is  convenient" — or  when  [Eph.  v.  4]  he  characterizes  "  filthiness,"  "  foolish 
talking,"  and  "jesting  "  as  "  not  convenient" — or  when  [Rom.  i.  28]  he  says  of  certain  sinners,  "  God  gave  them  over  to  a  repro- 
bate mind  to  do  those  things  which  are  not  convenient." 
VOL.  I. — 22 


i;o 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


"  Mr.  Buckingham  saith  he  is  not  free  to  cut  himself  off  of  any  liberty  of  applying  to  the  Court,  as  the  case 
is  circumstanced. 

"  Mr.  Woodbridge  is  for  the  affirmative  as  the  case  is  circumstanced. 
"Mr.  [Moses]  Noyes  saith  he  docs  not  oppose  its  going  to  the  Court." 

Evidently  Messrs.  Woodbridge  and  Buckingham  were  not  yet  ready  to  accept  the 
situation.  Outvoted  in  the  corporation,  they  had  their  own  private  judgment  about 
what  was  "  convenient  "  for  them  as  individual  trustees  to  do  in  opposition  to  their 
colleagues.  They  were  still  hoping  that  the  General  Assembly  would  interfere  to 
overrule  the  decision,  and  to  fix  the  college  in  their  town  or  its  vicinity.  What 
measures  they  took,  or  had  already  taken,  to  gain  that  end — how  the  question  was 
agitated  in  the  legislature — how  the  Governor  and  Council  sustained  the  trustees  in 
maintaining  their  independence  of  State  control,  while  the  House  of  Representatives 
was  on  the  other  side — is  a  story  which  need  not  be  repeated  here ;  for,  in  this  chapter, 
we  are  attempting  to  illustrate  only  the  character  and  doings  of  the  corporation. 

Notwithstanding  the  evident  purpose  of  their  Hartford  colleagues  to  undo,  by  the 
General  Assembly,  all  that  had  been  done,  the  trustees  went  resolutely  forward. 
Their  next  step  was  in  the  direction  of  conciliation  ; — perhaps  we  might  say,  they 
offered  a  sort  of  compromise.  It  has  been  told  elsewhere  (page  41)  that  Samuel 
Smith,  a  graduate  of  the  year  1 713,  had  been  serving  as  tutor  of  the  diaspora  at 
Wethersfield — not  appointed  to  that  office  by  the  trustees  as  a  body,  but  only  em- 
ployed by  the  two  whose  intention  was  that  the  college  should  become  a  Hartford 
institution.  The  trustees,  therefore,  assuming  that  by  their  answer  to  the  two  ques- 
tions just  cited  that  matter  had  been  settled,  proceeded  to  make  provision  for  the 
instruction  of  students  in  the  Collegiate  School  thenceforward  settled  in  New  Haven  ; 
and,  accordingly,  the  next  question  was — 

"Whether  we  approve  Mr.  Samuel  Smith,  of  Glastonbury,  for  a  tutor  of  the  Collegiate  School  ? 

"Yea,  say  Mr.  Ruggles,  Mr.  Davenport,  Mr.  Webb,  Mr.  Russel,  Mr.  Andrew.  Mr.  Noyes,  from  the 
recommendation  given  him. 

"  Mr.  Buckingham  and  Mr.  Woodbridge  say,  they  know  not  but  he  is  very  well  qualified  for  the  trust  of  a 
tutor." 

Then  the  same  question  was  proposed  concerning  "  Sir  Johnson  of  Guilford,"  and 
was  answered  in  the  same  way,  there  being  a  minority  of  two  against  six.  "  Mr. 
Buckingham  saith,  he  hath  nothing  to  object  against  him  on  account  of  his  qualifica- 
tions. Mr.  Woodbridge  saith,  he  doth  not  account  it  convenient  to  mention  him 
because  of  Newark  call."  In  other  words,  they  would  not  compromise  themselves  by 
consenting  to  the  appointment  of  tutors  to  instruct  in  a  Collegiate  School  at  New 
Haven.  So  when  the  proposal  was  that  the  "  building  of  a  Collegiate  School,  and 
also  of  the  house  for  a  Rector  be  undertaken  with  all  convenient  speed,"  we  read, 
"  Mr.  Buckingham  chooseth  silence.  Mr.  Woodbridge  saith  Nay."  So  in  regard  to 
the  proposal  that  the  Governor  and  Deputy-Governor  "  be  entreated  to  favor  us  with 
their  advice  concerning  the  architecktonick  part  of  the  buildings,"  there  is  a  similar 
record,  "  Mr.  Buckingham  chooseth  not  to  act,"  and  "  Mr.  Woodbridge  hath  nothing 
against  advice." 


THE  CORPORATION.  1yl 

From  another  passage  in  the  minutes  of  the  same  meeting,  it  appears  that  a  certain 
sum  of  ,£500,  given  by  the  General  Assembly  to  the  trustees,  was  in  the  hands  of 
Messrs.  Woodbridge  and  Buckingham,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  a  necessity  of 
very  formal  proceedings  in  order  to  get  it  out  of  their  hands  into  the  hands  of  the 
treasurer;  but  the  proceedings,  almost  minatory  in  their  aspect,  were  had,  and  the 
transaction  was  completed  before  the  adjournment  of  the  meeting.  In  the  same  reso- 
lute spirit,  and  with  the  evident  purpose  of  putting  an  end  to  controversy  about  the 
locality  of  the  institution,  the  trustees  asserted  their  rights  in  other  respects.  They 
ordered  that  notice  be  given  "  to  all  the  students  belonging  to  this  Collegiate  School " 
that  full  provision  was  made  at  New  Haven  for  their  instruction  and  government. 
They  directed  that  Mr.  John  Dixwell,  of  Boston  (a  son  doubtless  of  that  Colonel  John 
Dixwell  whose  name  was  subscribed  to  the  death-warrant  of  Charles  Stuart,  and 
whose  grave  is  behind  the  old  First  Church  in  New  Haven),  should  be  written  to  in 
the  name  of  the  corporation  "to  send,  by  the  first  safe  opportunity,  the  books  and 
globes  given  to  the  Collegiate  School  unto  New  Haven,  and  consign  them  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Joseph  Noyes,  of  New  Haven,  for  the  use  of  the  school."  And  in  regard  to  the 
books  at  Saybrook,  which  were  the  only  property  of  the  institution  there,  they 
"  entreated "  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moses  Noyes  to  take  care  that  they  be  "well  secured." 
The  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Pierpont  was  filled  by  the  election  of  the 
Rev.  Stephen  Buckingham,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Norwalk,  and  a  son  of  that  Thomas 
Buckingham  who  was  one  of  the  founders. 

The  validity  of  all  these  acts  was  denied  by  the  Hartford  minority  on  grounds 
which  need  not  be  restated  here.*  It  was  therefore  deemed  expedient  to  reaffirm 
the  contested  votes,  and  so  to  validate  them  if  invalid.  Accordingly  another  meet- 
ing was  held  at  New  Haven,  April  5,  171 7,  from  which  Messrs.  Woodbridge  and 
Thomas  Buckingham  were  absent,  though  the  venerable  James  Noyes  had  traveled  all 
the  way  from  Stonington  to  be  present.  Moses  Noyes,  the  special  representative  of 
Saybrook  interests,  was  also  absent,  as  well  as  the  infirm  and  incompetent  Mather. 
The  minutes  of  that  meeting  remain  on  file  in  two  distinct  papers,  each  of  them  sub- 
scribed with  the  autograph  names  of  all  who  were  present ; — one  a  series  of  orders  for 
the  payment  of  certain  incidental  expenses  ; — the  other  a  renewal  and  ratification  of  all 
that  had  been  done  in  the  meeting  of  the  preceding  October.  So  far  as  their  resolute 
will  and  decree  could  avail,  the  institution  which  they  had  founded  and  which  the 
General  Assembly  had  by  charter  committed  to  their  care,  was  "settled"  in  New 
Haven. 

No  trace  remains  of  any  meeting  at  Commencement  in  September  of  that  year — the 
first  New  Haven  Commencement.  But  the  first  entry  in  the  record-book  after  the 
hiatus,  shows  that  on  the  30th  of  October,  171 7  (which  was  while  the  General  Assem- 
bly was  holding  its  October  session),  there  was  a  meeting  at  which  once  more  it  was 
solemnly  determined  that  the  Collegiate  School  "be  now  settled  at  said  New  Haven." 
The  work  of  the  college  building,  which,  a  year  before,  was  to  "be  undertaken  with  all 
convenient  speed,"  was  in  progress ;    the  huge  frame — huge  for  those  days,  being  a 

*  Ante,  p.  42. 


172 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


hundred  and  seventy  feet  long,  and  three  stories  in  height — had  been  for  three  weeks 
the  most  conspicuous  "  architecktonick  "  thing  in  New  Haven  or  in  the  colony  of  Con- 
necticut; but  the  vote  to  undertake  it,  and  the  vote  requesting-  the  Governor  and 
I  )q)uty-Governor  to  aid  the  work  by  their  advice,  were  repeated  as  if  nothing  had 
been  done.  On  this  occasion  nine  of  the  eleven  trustees  were  present,  the  only 
absentee  beside  Mr.  Mather  (whose  absence  was  a  matter  of  course)  being  Mr. 
Stephen  Buckingham,  of  Norwalk,  who  had  been  elected  at  the  last  meeting,  and  was 
re-elected  at  this.  It  seems  to  have  been  their  purpose  to  overcome  by  iteration, 
doing  the  same  thing  again  and  again,  till  opposition  should  be  silenced.  All  the 
proceedings  of  that  meeting  seem  to  indicate  not  only  resolute  and  persistent  will,  but 
something  like  a  consciousness  of  having  gained  the  victory. 

Evidently  the  corporation  was  at  last  in  working  condition.  Its  methods  of  doing 
business  were  beginning  to  be  very  much  what  they  now  are.  The  germ  of  "the 
Prudential  Committee"  appears  in  a  vote  empowering  "the  Rector  and  any  two  trus- 
tees "  to  appoint  a  tutor  who  should  hold  office  till  the  next  meeting  of  the  board.  It 
is  more  developed  in  the  next  vote,  namely,  "The  trustees  empowered  are,  in  pursu- 
ance of  the  preceding  vote,  directed  and  ordered  to  use  all  fair  and  equal  measures  in 
order  to  obtain  Mr.  Elisha  Williams  to  be  the  senior  tutor  of  the  said  Collegiate 
School."  In  the  subsequent  reference  of  other  matters  to  "  the  said  trustees  empow- 
ered as  above,"  those  who  are  familiar  with  the  methods  in  which  the  business  of  the 
corporation  is  now  transacted,  see  that  the  trustees  were  beginning  to  have  their  Pru- 
dential Committee,  though  they  knew  not  its  name.  A  building  committee  was 
appointed,  including,  like  a  building  committee  in  our  day,  certain  members  of  the 
corporation,  and  certain  gentlemen  not  members.  "  The  hundred  pounds  given  by  the 
General  Assembly  to  the  trustees "  was  "  distributed  to  Wethersfield  and  Saybrook 
their  part,  as  well  as  to  New  Haven  their  part;"  and  from  the  record  of  that  distribu- 
tion we  learn  that,  of  the  students  recognized  as  belonging  to  the  institution  and  there- 
fore under  the  care  and  government  of  the  trustees  during  the  year  just  closed, 
fourteen  had  been  at  Wethersfield,  four  at  Saybrook,  and  only  thirteen  at  New  Haven. 
That  distribution  was  followed  up  with  a  vote  that  the  "  Trustees  empowered  as  above  " 
— or,  as  would  now  be  said,  the  Prudential  Committee — be  "  desired  and  ordered  to 
give  notice  to  the  two  junior  classes  at  Wethersfield  to  appear  and  attend  the  exercises 
at  New  Haven,  and  the  residue,  if  occasion  require."  It  is  worth  remembering  that 
one  of  the  students  then  or  afterwards  ordered  "to  appear  and  attend"  at  New  Haven 
was  Jonathan  Edwards,  of  East  Windsor,  who  received  the  highest  honor  in  the  class 
of  1720,  and  whose  name,  not  many  years  later,  became  illustrious  in  the  history  of 
theology  and  of  religion.* 

The  conciliatory  spirit  of  the  majority  was  indicated  in  the  invitation  to  Mr. 
Williams,  the  tutor  at  Wethersfield  under  the  Hartford  minority,  to  be  senior  tutor  at 
New  Haven.  Their  determination  was  evident  in  the  demand  that  the  two  junior 
classes  at  Wethersfield  under  the  patronage  of  that  minority  should  "appear  and 
attend  "  at  the  place  where  the  Collegiate  School  had  been  definitively  settled.      But 

*  S.  E.  Dwiglu's  Life  of  President  Edwards,  pp.  28-32. 


THE  CORPORATION.  xy^ 

the  time  for  effectual  conciliation  had  not  come.  Mr.  Williams  continued  to  teach  as 
tutor  at  Wethersfield  ;  and  when  "the  splendid  Commencement"  was  celebrated  at 
New  Haven,  in  171 8,  the  two  Hartford  members  of  the  corporation,  instead  of  being 
with  their  colleagues  to  take  part  in  the  pomp,  and  in  giving  the  name  Yale  College 
to  the  building  just  ready  for  occupation,  were  holding  a  Commencement  of  their  own 
at  Wethersfield.  That  rival  Commencement  was  the  more  remarkable  inasmuch  as  the 
General  Assembly  itself,  in  October  of  the  preceding  year,  had  resolved  "that  under 
the  present  circumstances  of  the  Collegiate  School,  the  reverend  trustees  be  advised 
to  proceed  in  that  affair,  and  to  finish  the  house  which  they  have  built  in  New  Haven." 
Yet  even  from  that  vote,  encouraging  as  it  was  to  the  majority  of  the  trustees,  the 
minority  may  have  derived  some  confirmation  of  their  purpose  to  overrule  their  col- 
leagues by  the  potency  of  advice  from  the  political  power.  So  persistent  was  the  "up- 
river"  party  in  that  purpose,  that  when  the  General  Assembly  met  again  at  Hartford, 
the  next  May,  the  Representatives  or  Lower  House,  more  subject  to  manipulation  than 
the  dignified  "Governor  and  Assistants"  constituting  the  Upper  House,  were  induced 
to  meddle  again,  and  to  "desire  the  trustees  to  consent  that  the  Commencements 
should  be  held  alternately  at  Wethersfield  and  New  Haven,  till  the  place  of  the 
school  be  fully  determined ; "  as  if  the  place  of  the  school  were  still  an  open  question. 
The  refusal  of  the  Upper  House  to  concur  in  that  "desire,"  and  its  declaration  that 
"the  place  of  the  school  was  fully  determined  already,"  did  not  suffice  to  close  the  con- 
troversy. Messrs.  Woodbridge  and  Buckingham  were  not  yet  ready  to  acknowledge 
that  the  settlement  of  the  college  at  New  Haven  was  a  completed  fact.  So  they  held 
their  Commencement  at  Wethersfield ;  and,  as  if  the  Collegiate  School  were  capable 
of  being  distributed  here  and  there  over  the  colony  at  the  will  of  individual  trustees, 
they  continued  to  employ  Mr.  Williams  as  tutor  in  what  they  regarded  as  their  part 
of  it* 

But  the  controversy  could  not  be  perpetuated.  How  it  ended  the  reader  knows 
already. f  By  way  of  compensation  to  the  "  up-river  "  interest,  Hartford  obtained  a 
"  State-house,"  which  in  "  architecktonick  "  grandeur  was  almost  or  quite  equal  to  the 
college  edifice  at  the  rival  capital. J  The  appropriation  for  that  purpose,  with  the 
other  conciliatory  offers  and  suggestions  made  by  the  General  Assembly  at  New 
Haven,  in  October,  1718,  were  so  far  effectual  that  though  the  school  at  Wethersfield 
was  continued,  and  was  a  "cave  of  Adullam  "  to  which  students  betook  themselves 
when  discontented  with  the  academic  discipline  of  Tutor  Johnson  at  New  Haven,  the 
beginning  of  Rector  Cutler's  administration,  in  June,  17 19,  seems  to  mark  the  ending 
of  the  long  controversy.  Yet  it  is  not  till  a  later  date  that  the  names  of  the  Hartford 
pastors  begin   to   appear  again  on  the  record.     At  a  meeting,   April   20,   1720,  Mr. 

*  Mr.  Williams,  the  tutor  at  Wethersfield,  was,  at  the  same  time,  representative  from  that  town  in  the  General  Assembly, 
and  clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

f  Ante,  page  47. 

\  The  edifice  here  referred  to  stood  on  or  near  the  site  occupied  by  its  successor,  which  was  built  in  1792-6.  It  was  seventy 
feet  long  and  thirty  wide,  two  and  a  half  stories  in  height,  and  surmounted  by  a  cupola.  To  make  room  for  its  successor,  it 
was  removed  to  what  Hartford  now  calls  Church  street  ;  and  citizens  of  that  metropolis,  whose  memory  runs  back  sixty  years  or 
more,  can  well  remember  what  in  their  early  days  was  called  "  the  Old  Court  House." 


I  74  )\\LE   COLLEGE. 

Woodbridge  was  present,  apparently  for  the  first  time  since  October,  i  7 1  7  ;  and  at  an 
adjourned  meeting  on  the  8th  of  June,  Mr.  Thomas  Buckingham  was  also  present. 
How  complete  was  the  reconciliation  we  infer  from  the  recorded  vote,  "  that  a  letter  of 
thanks  be  sent  to  Governor  Yale,  and  another  to  Mr.  Dummer,  and  that  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  and  Mr.  Thomas  Buckingham  do  write  in  the  name  of  the  trustees  to  the  afore- 
said gentlemen."  The  two  Hartford  pastors,  conciliated  at  last,  after  their  long  and 
desperate  opposition  to  the  settlement  of  the  college  at  New  Haven,  were  intrusted 
with  the  duty  of  expressing  the  thanks  of  the  corporation  to  those  benefactors  whose 
timely  gifts  had  been  so  potent  in  the  determination  of  the  controversy. 

Contemporaneous  with  the  closing  up  of  the  long  controversy  was  the  legislative 
act,  already  mentioned,  "  in  explanation  of  and  addition  to  the  act  for  erecting  a  Col- 
legiate School  in  this  colony."  In  the  conflict  about  the  removal  of  the  institution 
from  Saybrook,  the  Hartford  minority  had  contended  that  old  Mr.  Mather,  lying  on 
his  bed  at  Windsor,  and  incapable  of  any  business,  must  nevertheless  be  numbered 
with  the  eleven  trustees  ;  and  that  whatever  might  be  done  in  his  absence,  being  done 
without  his  consent,  must  be  regarded  as  if  he  had  voted  against  it.  Assuming  that 
the  powers  committed  to  the  trustees  might  be  exercised  otherwise  than  by  their  votes 
in  a  lawful  meeting  of  the  chartered  body,  and  that  individual  partakers  in  the  trust 
were  invested  with  some  undefined  authority,  they  had  attempted  to  use  such  authority 
independently  of  their  associates.  To  some  extent,  at  least,  the  majority  had  fallen 
into  the  same  error.  Their  habit  of  authenticating  their  acts  by  their  individual 
signatures  tended  in  that  direction  ;  and  led  them  to  suppose  that  the  pastor  of  Ston- 
ington  could  reinforce  the  acts  of  a  meeting  at  which  he  was  not  present,  by  certifying 
his  consent  some  three  months  afterwards.  It  was  with  express  reference  to  the  fore- 
going troubles  that  the  General  Assembly,  in  the  October  session  of  1723,  at  New 
Haven,  probably  at  the  informal  request  of  the  trustees,  made  an  explanation  of  the 
original  charter,  enlarging  somewhat  the  powers  which  it  was  intended  to  confer.  After 
reciting  the  fact  that  the  "  trustees  for  erecting  a  Collegiate  School  "  have,  "pursuant 
to  the  powers  and  privileges  granted"  in  the  original  charter,  "  erected  the  said  school 
in  the  town  of  New  Haven,  which  school  is  now  known  by  the  name  of  Yale  Col- 
lege,"— and  the  fact  that  for  want  of  some  "  explanation  and  enlargement  of  the 
powers  and  privileges  granted,"  the  college  "  has  labored  under  great  difficulties,  very 
much  to  the  prevention  of  that  order  and  good  education  which  is  to  be  desired  there," 
— the  act.  provides,  first,  that  when  a  trustee  is  "by  Providence  incapacitated  from 
attending  that  service,  or  shall  himself  decline  the  same,"  the  assembled  trustees  may 
fill  the  vacancy  ; — secondly,  that  the  trustees  "  have  power  to  meet  together,"  and  In 
that  way  "  to  agree  and  conclude,  order  and  determine  "  all  matters  pertaining  to  the 
college  "  by  the  majority  of  the  said  meeting,  and  by  the  same  majority  to  choose  and 
appoint  a  clerk  who  shall,  in  a  fair  book  prepared  for  that  end,  register  and  carefully 
preserve  the  acts  of  all  such  meetings"; — thirdly,  that  "  due  notice  being  given  to  the 
trustees,  by  consent  of  any  three  of  them,  of  a  meeting  desired  at  any  time  or  place, 
any  seven  or  more  "  of  the  eleven  shall  be  a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business  ; — 
fourthly,  that  thirty  years,  instead  of  forty,  shall  be  the  age  under  which  no  man  may 


THE  CORPORATION. 


175 


be  chosen  into  the  corporation  ;  and,  fifthly,  that  the  Rector  of  the  college  shall  be 
ex  officio  a  trustee.  It  will  be  observed  that  this  act  explaining  and  enlarging  the 
charter  speaks  of  the  Collegiate  School  as  having  become  a  college,  as  settled  in  New 
Haven,  and  as  having  gained  the  name  which  the  trustees,  when  they  gave  it  to  their 
building,  intended  to  bestow  upon  the  institution  also. 

How  Rector  Cutler's  brief  administration  ended,  and  what  part  the  corporation  had 
in  ending  it,  is  a  familiar  story.  But  it  is  not  so  well  known  how  many  attempts  were 
made,  between  1722  and  1725,  to  fill  the  vacant  place.  Immediately  after  Rector 
Cutler's  retirement,  Mr.  Woodbridge,  whose  position  as  pastor  of  the  First  Church  in 
Hartford  would  not  permit  him  to  be  permanently  removed,  was  requested  to  become, 
pro  tempore,  the  resident  Rector  of  the  college  ;  and  though  he  did  not  accept  the 
invitation,  he  condescended  so  far  as  to  preside  at  the  next  Commencement,  as  he  had 
presided  at  the  factious  "  up-river "  Commencement  five  years  before.  Meanwhile, 
Mr.  Nathaniel  Williams,  a  teacher  in  Boston,  successor  of  the  famous  Ezekiel  Cheever, 
had  been  chosen  Rector,  but  had  not  accepted  the  call.  Then,  in  April,  1724,  the 
"  Rev.  Mr.  Eliphalet  Adams,"  of  New  London,  himself  a  trustee,  was  chosen,  unsuc- 
cessfully. A  month  later  the  corporation,  having  been  convened  at  Hartford,  made  a 
twofold  attempt  by  choosing  "  Rev.  Mr.  Wigglesworth,  Professor  of  Divinity  at  Cam- 
bridge," and,  "in  case  this  choice  fails,  then  the  Rev.  William  Russel,  of  Middletown." 
The  last  named  Rector-elect  was  a  graduate  of  the  college,  and  was  the  first  of  the 
alumni  to  receive  that  honor  from  his  alma  mater*  Negotiations  with  the  people  of 
Middletown,  for  the  removal  of  their  pastor,  were  ineffectual,  and  the  vacancy  remained 
through  another  year.  At  last  the  time  came  when  Elisha  Williams,  who  as  tutor  at 
Wethersfield  had  been  identified  with  the  most  persistent  opposition  to  the  settlement 
of  the  college  at  New  Haven,  was  called  from  the  church  of  which  he  had  been  five 
years  pastor,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Newington,  to  be  Rector  of  Yale  College. 
He  was  the  first  who  became  by  virtue  of  his  office  a  member  of  the  corporation.  His 
election  to  the  presidency,!  with  his  acceptance  of  the  office,  marks  the  complete 
extinction  of  whatever  local  jealousies  and  antipathies  had  been  caused  by  the  question 
of  place.  From  that  time  onward  the  trustees  were  as  one  man  in  caring  for  the 
college,  which,  in  its  growth,  was  becoming  the  pride  of  the  commonwealth,  and  to 
which  the  churches  were  looking  for  a  learned  as  well  as  godly  ministry.  From  that 
time  to  this,  no  political  conflict  and  no  ecclesiastical  or  theological  controversy  has 
ever  made  a  schism  in  the  corporation  of  Yale  College. 

Yet  there  was,  at  one  time,  a  serious  division,  though  not  quite  a  schism.  The  reli- 
gious agitation  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century  gave  rise  to  ecclesiastical  parties, 
which,  in  the  relations  then   existing   between  the   churches  and  the  commonwealth, 

*  He  was  a  son  of  Noadiah  Russel,  one  of  the  ten  founders,  and  son-in-law  of  James  Pierpont,  another.  He  had  already 
served  as  tutor,  and  from  1745  to  his  death,  in  1761,  he  was  a  member  of  the  corporation.  At  the  time  of  his  election  to  the 
headship  of  the  college,  he  had  been  not  yet  fifteen  years  a  graduate. 

\  The  Rector,  as  soon  as  "  the  School  "  had  begun  to  be  called  "  the  College,"  began  to  be  popularly  designated  by  the 
same  title  with  the  head  of  Harvard  College.  Jonathan  Edwards,  in  a  letter  to  his  father,  July,  1719,  said  of  Rector  Cutler,  "  He 
is  loved  and  respected  by  all  who  are  under  him,  and  when  he  is  spoken  of  in  the  school  or  town,  he  generally  has  the  title  of 
President." — S.  E.  Dwight's  Life  oj  Edwaids,  p.  31. 


176  YALE  COLLEGE. 

became  political  also.  On  the  part  of  the  "  New  Lights  "  there  was  great  alarm  about 
the  supposed  lapses  of  the  "  Old  Lights,"  or  at  least  of  some  conspicuous  members 
of  that  party,  from  the  accepted  orthodoxy  of  those  times.  Induced  by  fears  and 
jealousies  of  that  sort,  the  corporation,  when  the  scheme  for  a  Professorship  of  Divinity 
was  in  hand,  ordained  that  the  President,  the  Fellows,  the  Professor  of  Divinity,  and 
the  Tutors,  should  give  their  assent  to  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith  and  Cate- 
chisms, expressly  renouncing  all  doctrines  contrary  thereto,  and  should  be  subjected 
to  such  examination  as  the  corporation  might  require.  The  Rev.  Joseph  Noyes,  of 
New  Haven,  one  of  the  early  graduates,  had  been  a  tutor  in  the  college  while  it  was 
only  a  sojourner  at  Saybrook,  and  was  chosen  into  the  corporation  in  1735,  when  he 
had  been  nineteen  years  the  pastor  of  the  New  Haven  church,  and  in  that  capacity 
the  preacher  to  rectors  and  tutors  and  to  twenty  successive  classes  of  students.  For 
a  while  his  ministry  seems  to  have  been  neither  unacceptable  nor  unsuccessful.  But, 
in  the  progress  of  that  remarkable  movement  celebrated  in  the  traditions  of  New  Eng- 
land as  "  the  Great  Awakening,"  he  incurred  the  dislike  and  the  relentless  hostility  of 
the  New  Light  party.  Nowhere  was  the  conflict  between  the  two  parties  fiercer  than 
in  the  church  and  parish  to  which  he  ministered.  No  man  in  the  colony  was  more 
obnoxious  to  the  New  Lights  than  he,  and  no  man  was  more  assailed  with  suspicions 
and  imputations  of  doctrinal  unsoundness.  How  far  such  imputations  or  suspicions 
were  true  cannot  be  determined  at  this  day,  for  nothing  from  his  pen  remains  to  tell  us 
what  he  taught  or  thought  on  disputed  questions  in  theology.  Probably  there  was, 
even  then,  no  evidence  sufficient  to  substantiate  the  imputations.  Yet  with  the  strong 
suspicion  against  him,  it  was  thought  that  by  an  inquisitorial  proceeding  he  might  be 
made  to  convict  himself.  The  New  Light  party  being  at  last  predominant  in  the 
colony,  and  having  become  the  conservatively  orthodox  party,  its  position  in  relation  to 
those  loosely  skeptical  tendencies  in  theological  opinion  which  were  coming  over  from 
England,  and  which  were  strengthened  in  some  quarters  by  the  reaction  against  cer- 
tain extravagances  incidental  to  "the  Great  Awakening,"  had  brought  the  President 
and  a  majority  of  the  Fellows  (always  a  conservative  body)  into  a  general  agreement 
with  it.  Mr.  Noyes  had  long  been  harassed  and  vexed  by  the  schism  in  what  was 
once  his  undivided  flock,  and  his  temper,  naturally  unyielding,  had  not  been  softened 
by  what  he  deemed  a  fanatical  opposition  to  his  ministry.  He  was  on  the  downhill 
side  of  life  ;  his  unpopularity,  local  and  general,  was  steadily  increasing ;  the  sepa- 
ration from  his  ministry  in  New  Haven  had  become  the  majority,  and  had  been  legal- 
ized and  incorporated  as  a  distinct  parish  by  the  General  Assembly.  It  was  thought 
that  the  interests  intrusted  to  the  corporation  were  in  danger,  and  must  be  guarded  and 
promoted  by  making  him  a  sacrifice.  The  book  of  records  shows  no  trace  of  what  was 
done  or  attempted  ;  but  I  find  a  sufficient  account  of  it  in  the  Stiles  MSS.,  and  also  in 
the  original  "minutes"  of  the  corporation.  A  letter  dated  "New  Haven,  25th  July, 
1757,"  and  addressed  by  Colonel  John  Hubbard  to  his  son-in-law  Stiles,  then  of  New- 
port, says:  "The  corporation  have  formally  cited  Mr.  Noyes  to  answer  for  a  suspicion 
of  heresy.  The  particulars,  the  Trinity,  Deity,  and  Satisfaction  of  Christ,  and  Origi- 
nal Sin,  and  the  important  doctrines  thereon  depending.      Mr.  Noyes  at  present  seems 


THE  CORPORATION. 


177 


determined  to  resign  and  not  stand  the  brunt.  I  think  his  friends  here,  to  a  man,  dis- 
like his  resolution."  Mr.  Noyes  did  not  resign.  He  retained  his  place,  and  died  a 
member  of  the  corporation  four  years  afterwards.  He  stood  the  brunt  by  refusing  to 
be  examined,  and  vindicating  his  refusal.  Perhaps  he  might  have  been  excluded  from 
the  corporation  had  any  one  of  the  suspecting  Fellows  been  courageous  enough  to 
charge  him,  formally  and  responsibly,  with  definite  heresies,  and  had  the  charges  been 
proved ;  but  he  would  submit  to  no  inquisitorial  process,  and,  by  standing  manfully  on 
that  refusal,  he  saved  the  body  from  the  disgrace  and  ruin  to  which  the  policy  of 
putting  its  own  members  under  examination  on  "suspicion  of  heresy"  would  have  con- 
ducted it.  The  old  man's  obstinacy  was,  in  that  instance,  a  good  thing  for  the  insti- 
tution.* 

In  the  record-book,  or  on  the  unrecorded  minutes,  there  are  two  preceding  instances 
of  what  seems  like  an  attempt  to  rid  the  corporation  of. an  undesired  member.  The 
first  case  is  that  of  Rev.  Stephen  Buckingham,  of  Norwalk.  He  had  long  been  in  con- 
flict with  his  people,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  some  cloud  upon  his  reputation. 
For  four  years  he  had  been  absent  from  the  meetings  of  the  corporation,  when,  Sep- 
tember 13,  1732,  the  trustees  sent  him  an  official  letter  requesting  that  if  he  thought 
himself  "  unqualified  to  serve  the  interests  of  the  school  any  longer,"  he  would  resign 
his  place  among  them.  Thenceforward  he  disappears  from  the  record.  The  other 
case  is  that  of  Rev.  Samuel  Cook,  of  Stratfield  (now  Bridgeport).  He  was  eminent 
among  the  clergy  of  that  day ;  but  in  1 745  he  had  become  obnoxious  to  the  Old  Light 


*  The  reasons  which  Mr.  Noyes  gave  for  his  "  absolute  refusal  to  submit  to  an  examination"  were  written  down,  probably 
not  without  the  advice  of  his  son-in-law,  Thomas  Darling,  Esq.  Although  they  were  pronounced  unsatisfactory,  they  seem  to 
have  answered  their  purpose.  The  "  suspect"  was  not  examined,  nor  was  he  expelled  for  his  "absolute  refusal."  They  were 
as  follows  : 

"  1.  I  have  once  qualified  myself  to  serve  as  a  member  of  the  corporation,  and  have  good  right  to  be  esteemed  and  treated 
as  a  member  in  good  standing,  until  I  am  proved  to  be  disqualified. 

"  2.  The  law  or  resolve  upon  which  my  examination  is  founded  is  arbitrary  ;  for  a  man  to  be  subjected  to  examination  on 
suspicion  only  is  contrary  to  all  reason. 

"  3.  Said  law  or  resolve  is  manifestly  unjust,  as  it  subjects  a  man,  though  innocent,  to  suffer  in  his  character  and  influence, 
and  leaves  him  without  remedy. 

"  4.  Said  law  or  resolve  is  singular  and  unprecedented,  there  having  never  been  heretofore]  any  law  or  rule  of  like  nature 
in  this  corporation,  or  any  other  Christian  community,  except  the  courts  of  Inquisition  and  Star  Chamber. 

"  5.  Said  law  or  resolve  is  inconsistent  with  the  ecclesiastical  constitution  of  this  colony.  As  I  am  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
under  the  constitution,  I  am  accountable  to  the  consociation  to  which  I  belong,  concerning  my  principles,  and  not  to  this 
board. 

"  6.  Said  law  or  resolve  is  contrary  to  the  principles  of  the  common  law.  All  legal  processes,  according  to  the  common 
law,  must  be  built  upon  some  express  accusation  or  charge,  to  be  supported  by  proper  and  sufficient  evidence  ;  but  suspicion 
and  surprise  are  always  discountenanced. 

"  7.  The  corporation  have  no  right  or  power  to  make  such  a  law  or  rule,  or  to  act  upon  it.  Whatever  power  the  corporation 
have,  as  legislators,  they  are  invested  with  by  charter,  and  have  therefore  just  so  much  power  as  the  charter  gives  them  and  no 
more — which,  in  general,  is  only  to  make  laws  respecting  the  ordering  and  governing  the  college,  but  have  no  power  to  make 
any  law  respecting  the  removal  of  a  member  of  the  corporation,  this  matter  being  specially  provided  for  by  charter  itself,  and  a 
member  must  be  removed  for  reasons  assigned  in  the  charter  or  not  removed  at  all — which  are  unfaithfulness,  default,  or  inca- 
pacity only. 

"  8.  I  have  taken  the  oaths  and  subscribed  the  declaration,  etc.,  as  required  by  the  charter  (and  is  the  only  thing  required 
therein),  and  have  freely  given  as  great  security  as  either  the  king  or  any  of  his  subjects,  or  the  government  of  any  of  its  mem- 
bers do  require  to  their  sustaining  any  office  for  which  they  are  otherwise  fit  and  appointed  to  serve. 

"  9.   I  do  not  esteem  the  corporation  so  important  and  singular,  or  the  ends  to  be  promoted  by  it  to  be  of  so  extraordinary 
and  peculiar  a  nature,  but  that  these  securities  usually  given  to  other  corporations  may  be  sufficient  for  this." 
VOL.  I. — 23 


178  YALE  COLLEGE. 

party,  and  his  zeal  for  the  "revival"  had  led  him  into  some  ecclesiastical  irregularities. 
In  particular  he  had  meddled,  not  as  a  reconciler  but  as  a  partisan,  in  the  conflict 
between  Mr.  Noyes  and  the  New  Light  portion  of  the  New  Haven  church,  and  had 
presided  in  the  partisan  council  of  four  ministers  which  publicly  recognized  the  seced- 
ing party  not  only  as  a  church,  but  as  the  identical  First  Church  from  which  they  had 
seceded.  Mr.  Noyes  was  at  that  time  in  good  standing  with  the  President  and  the 
majority  of  the  corporation,  for  he  and  they  were  on  the  same  side  in  opposition  to 
New  Light  enthusiasms  and  extravagances.*  He  does  not  appear  to  have  made  any 
protest  when  the  Rev.  Samuel  Cook  was  called  to  account  for  New  Light  delinquen- 
cies. The  minutes — not  the  final  record — of  the  meeting,  at  Commencement,  Septem- 
ber 1 1,  1745,  tell  us  what  was  done  in  that  case: 

"Whereas  this  Board  have,  at  this  and  former  meetings,  signified  to  Mr.  Cook  their  dissatisfaction  with 
sundry  things  in  his  conduct,  and  he  could  not  now  conveniently  tarry  to  make  any  distinct  answer  thereunto 
by  reason  of  sickness  in  his  family, — 

"Voted  that  the  President,  with  the  rest  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  this  Board,  be  desired  to  signify  to 
Mr.  Cook  the  reasons  of  their  dissatisfaction  in  writing,  and  desire  his  answer  thereunto." 

The  "writing"  in  which  President  Clap  and  the  committee  "signified  to  Mr.  Cook 
the  reasons  of  their  dissatisfaction"  is  not  known  to  be  now  extant;  but  "his  answer 
thereunto"  is  plain  from  the  record  of  the  next  meeting,  April  26,  1746:  "The  Rev. 
Mr.  Cook  resigned  his  place  of  Fellow  of  this  college."  He  chose  "  not  to  stand  the 
brunt."  Had  he  manfully  told  the  President  and  Fellows  that  for  any  ecclesiastical 
delinquencies  imputed  to  him  he  would  give  account  to  the  constituted  ecclesiastical 
authorities  and  to  no  other  human  tribunal;  he  would  have  rendered  then  the  same  ser- 
vice to  the  college,  and  to  the  great  interest  of  intellectual  and  religious  liberty,  which 
Mr.  Noyes  had  the  opportunity  of  rendering  twelve  years  afterwards.  And  on  the 
other  hand,  had  Mr.  Noyes,  when  the  problem  was  how  to  get  rid  of  the  New  Light 
Mr.  Cook,  been  as  sagacious  in  regard  to  the  rights  of  a  member  at  that  board  as  he 
was  when  he  had  become  himself  the  object  of  dissatisfaction,  there  would  have  been 
no  precedent  for  the  inquisitorial  proceedings  attempted  in  his  case. 

Before  these  proceedings  in  regard  to  Mr.  Noyes,  and  before  the  earlier  proceedings 
in  the  case  of  Mr.  Cook,  a  new  charter  had  given  new  dignity  to  the  institution,  and 
had  invested  it  with  all  the  powers  which  have  created  the  university.  The  simple 
Board  of  Trustees,  of  which  the  Rector  of  the  Collegiate  School  under  their  care  was 
ex  officio  a  member,  had  become,  by  the  new  charter,  "the  President  and  Fellows  of 
Yale  College ; "  and  thenceforth  the  President  of  the  Corporation  presided,  ex  officio, 
in  the  government  and  instruction  of  the  students.  Under  the  old  charter  the  trustees 
had  elected  their  "moderator"  at  each  meeting,  for  the  Rector  presided  only  in  the 

*  What  was  then  (in  September,  1745)  the  position  of  the  President  and  Fellows  in  relation  to  the  New  Light  movement  is 
evident  if  we  remember  that,  only  three  years  and  a  half  before  that  date,  David  Brainerd,  the  best  scholar  in  his  class,  was 
expelled  for  some  extravagantly  censorious  words  heedlessly  spoken  concerning  one  of  the  tutors,  and  for  once  going  to  the  Sepa- 
rate (or  anti-Noyes)  meeting  in  New  Haven  ;  and  that,  only  two  years  before,  there  was  not  New  Light  influence  enough  in  the 
corporation  to  obtain  for  him  the  privilege  of  graduating  with  his  class,  though  he  had  been  meanwhile  a  diligent  student,  and 
though  he  offered  a  humble  and  penitent  confession  of  his  fault.     The  case  of  the  Cleavelands  was  still  more  recent. 


THE   CORPORATION. 


179 


school.  Under  the  new  charter,  the  corporation  was  represented  in  the  Faculty  or 
Board  of  Tutors,  and  the  Faculty  in  the  corporation,  by  one  and  the  same  functionary 
presiding  in  both.  More  accurately,  this  was  the  usage  naturally  consequent  from  the 
previous  arrangement,  which  had  required  the  head  of  the  school  to  be  also  a  trustee. 
The  charter  does  not  require  the  President  to  be  himself  a  teacher  in  any  faculty.  It  is 
in  the  power  of  the  President  and  Fellows  to  appoint  a  Dean  or  other  presiding  officer 
over  each  of  the  several  Collegiate  Schools  under  their  government,  and  a  Chancellor, 
Vice- Chancellor,  Rector  Magnificus,  or  other  dignitary  over  the  university,  with  all  its 
faculties,  to  hold  his  office  for  such  a  term  of  years  as  may  be  judged  expedient. 
President  Woolsey  said,  twenty-seven  years  ago:  "The  substitution  of  a  temporary 
for  a  permanent  President  I  regard  as  likely  to  be  viewed  with  favor  by  the  next  gen- 
eration." Such  a  substitution  may  be  effected,  virtually,  whenever  it  shall  seem  expe- 
dient, without  any  alteration  of  the  charter. 

From  the  date  of  the  new  charter,  1745,  the  college  at  New  Haven  was,  in  name 
and  style,  the  peer  of  its  elder  sister  at  Cambridge.  An  indication  that  such  a  change 
was  deemed  desirable  appears  on  record  in  the  days  of  Rector  Williams,  as  far  back 
as  December  20,  1732,  when  it  was  "voted  that  this  meeting  be  adjourned  to  Hart- 
ford, the  day  following  the  next  general  election  of  this  colony,  to  address  the 
Assembly  in  a  body  respecting  some  alteration  to  be  made  in  the  names  whereby 
they  are  known  in  the  charter  granted  us,  and  such  other  business  as  may  then  appear 
necessary."  What  came  of  that  adjournment — whether  the  meeting  failed  for  want  of 
a  quorum — whether  as  many  of  the  trustees  as  were  present  did  actually  "  address  the 
Assembly  in  a  body  " — whether  it  was  concluded  that  the  time  had  not  yet  come  for 
such  a  petition — no  record  informs  us.  But,  evidently  enough,  the  vote  in  1732 
expresses  the  desire  for  what  was  granted  in  the  charter  in  1 745.  Thenceforward  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Clap  was  President,  not  merely  by  pretension  or  by  courtesy,  but  by  as 
valid  a  right  as  if  he  had  been  the  head  of  the  Massachusetts  college  ;  and  the 
"  undertakers  "  or  "  partners  "  who  were  first  incorporated  simply  as  "  trustees  "  for 
the  "  collegiate  school  "  of  which  they  were  to  be  the  founders,  and  whose  designation 
in  Latin  was  sometimes  Curatores,  and  sometimes  Inspectores,  had  become  the  Presi- 
dent and  Fellows  of  Yale  College,  Presses  ct  Socii  Collcgii  Yalcusis,  with  all  the 
majesty  of  a  Scnatus  Acadcmicus.  There  was  no  more  choosing  of  a  "moderator," 
save  when  the  presidential  chair  was  vacant. 

No  change  in  the  business  of  the  corporation,  or  in  the  work  imposed  on  individual 
members,  was  consequent  on  the  new  dignity  of  the  institution.  There  was  the  same 
care  of  the  college  property — the  same  personal  attention  by  individual  Fellows  to  the 
details  of  business ;  for  as  yet  there  was  little  dependence  on  the  treasurer,  save  as  a 
receiving  and  disbursing  officer.  Certain  farms  in  various  towns  of  far-away  Litchfield 
County — given  as  wild  lands  by  the  colony  to  the  college — required  much  care  and 
inspection  ;  and  all  the  business  of  that  sort  was  attended  to  not  by  the  treasurer  or 
any  salaried  agent,  but  by  members  of  the  corporation  deputed  to  the  duty,  and  travel- 
ing on  horseback  to  where  the  business  must  be  done.  Examinations  and  commence- 
ments were  to  be  kept  up ;   degrees  were  to  be  conferred  or  withheld ;   college  officers 


igo  VALE  COLLEGE. 

were  to  be  appointed  ;  complaints  of  the  students  against  the  steward,  about  "  the 
commons,"  were  to  be  heard  and  disposed  of.  For  example,  the  Rev.  Elizur  Goodrich, 
D.I).,  of  Durham,  was  one  of  the  ten  Fellows  from  1776  to  1797.  He  was  greatly 
distinguished  among  the  clergy  of  his  day  for  various  learning,  for  ability  as  a  teacher, 
for  wisdom  in  council,  and  for  general  influence,  as  well  as  for  diligence  and  success  in 
his  own  parochial  charge.  In  1777,  a  President  was  to  be  elected;  and  he  was  the 
candidate  preferred  by  perhaps  a  majority  of  the  clergy.  The  votes  of  the  corporation 
were  at  first  divided  equally  between  him  and  Dr.  Stiles,  who,  at  another  balloting, 
was  elected  by  a  small  majority,  and  to  whom  he  ever  afterwards  gave  a  hearty  sup- 
port. He  was  at  that  date  the  junior  Fellow  ;  but  he  soon  became  a  leading  member, 
especially  in  business  affairs,  so  that  President  D wight  testified  at  his  funeral,  "  No 
man  living  probably  so  well  understood  the  interests  of  our  university,  or  for  more 
than  twenty  years  took  so  active  and  important  a  part  in  its  concerns."  He  died  in 
the  business  of  the  corporation,  away  from  his  home,  on  a  "  circuit  of  a  fortnight 
among  the  college  farms  in  Litchfield  County."  To  be  a  Fellow  of  Yale  College  was 
not  in  his  time,  nor  has  it  ever  been  (certainly  not  among  the  ten  who  hold  in  succes- 
sion from  the  founders),  a  merely  honorary  distinction.* 

There  is  no  need  of  repeating  here  the  story  of  the  change  effected  in  the  charter, 
by  compact  between  the  State  and  the  corporation,  under  the  act  of  1 792. f  No  change 
in  the  policy  of  the  board,  or  in  its  methods  of  transacting  business,  appears  to  have 
ensued  upon  the  coming  in  of  State  functionaries  as  Fellows  ex  officio.  There  was  a 
new  grandeur  in  the  Commencement  procession  of  1792,  when  his  Excellency  Samuel 
Huntington,  LL.D.,  "Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief  in  and  over  the  State  of 
Connecticut,"  wearing  the  gubernatorial  cockade  and  dress  sword,  and  with  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Wolcott  at  his  left  hand,  marched  immediately  after  President  Stiles ;  and 
when  the  white  wigs  and  black  coats  of  the  ten  ministers  became  more  imposing  by 
contrast  with  the  laical  costumes  of  the  six  senior  assistants.  A  sense  of  new  dignity 
in  the  institution  pervaded  the  minds  of  students  and  graduates  alike  when,  in  the 
Latin  gratulations  of  the  day,  the  old  phrase,  Socii  Reverendi,  was  enlarged  into  the 
more  magniloquent  Socii  Reverendi  et  Honorandi.  On  all  sides  there  was  new  confi- 
dence that  the  college  was  to  flourish  ;  for  the  hostility  which  had  assailed  it  so  long 
was  either  vanquished  or  conciliated,  and  the  State  had  given  what  seemed  a  large 
endowment.  In  the  enlarged  corporation,  thenceforth  consisting  of  the  President  and 
eighteen  Fellows,  debate  must  of  course  be  a  little  less  colloquial  and  a  little  more 
parliamentary  than  before.  The  law  learning  and  the  political  experience  of  the 
"civilians"  (as  they  were  then  called  in  distinction  from  the  "ecclesiastics")  were  of 

*  It  may  be  fitly  mentioned  here,  as  an  instance  of  hereditary  interest  in  the  institution,  that  the  Durham  pastor  who 
served  so  long  as  Fellow  (and  Secretary)  was  father  of  Hon.  Elizur  Goodrich,  who  served  as  Professor  of  Law  from  1801  to 
1810,  and  afterwards,  from  1816  to  1846,  as  Secretary  of  the  corporation,  and  grandfather  of  Prof.  Chauncey  A.  Goodrich,  so 
long  distinguished  in  the  Faculty  of  Arts,  and  afterwards  in  that  of  Theology.  Each  of  the  three  served,  in  his  youth,  as 
college  tutor  ;  and  from  the  election  of  the  grandfather  into  the  corporation,  in  1776,  to  the  death  of  the  grandson,  in  1S60, 
there  was  only  one  brief  interval  (less  than  four  years)  in  which  Dr.  Goodrich,  or  his  son,  or  his  grandson,  was  not  actively 
serving  the  honored  alma  mater. 

\  Ante,  p.  109. 


THE  CORPORATION.  jgj 

great  value.     The  business  to  be  done  was  increased  with  the  increase  of  means  for 
building  and  for  other  college  purposes ;  but  it  was  done  in  the  old  way. 

For  many  years  the  attendance  of  the  civilians  at  meetings  of  the  corporation  was 
such  as  gave  evidence  of  their  interest  in  the  institution.  Four  of  the  eight,  as  well  as 
six  of  the  eleven,  must  be  present  at  a  meeting,  or  there  was  no  quorum.  In  1818,  the 
State  had  passed  into  the  control  of  a  new  party ;  and  under  a  new  constitution  "  six 
senior  Senators"  were  substituted  for  the  "six  senior  Assistants"  in  the  corporation  of 
the  college.  That  change,  however,  made  no  great  difference,  for  the  senate,  in  those 
days,  represented  the  State,  and  though  the  senators  were  elected  annually,  they  were 
often,  not  to  say  ordinarily,  re-elected  by  the  force  of  the  "steady  habits"  which  had 
long  been  characteristic  of  the  people.  The  senior  senators  were  a  different  sort  of 
men  politically,  and  perhaps  religiously,  from  the  senior  assistants  of  the  former  time ; 
but  they  attended  the  meetings  of  the  corporation  with  commendable  fidelity,  and  they 
retained  their  places  long  enough  to  become  acquainted  with  the  duty  of  the  trust. 
But  in  1828,  by  what  was  thought  to  be  a  constitutional  amendment,  the  senate  of 
twelve,  elected  by  the  State,  gave  way  to  a  senate  of  twenty-one,  elected  by  petty  dis- 
tricts. The  consequence  was  a  yearly  displacement  of  the  senators,  with  few  excep- 
tions, and  a  progressive  diminution  in  the  dignity  of  the  senate.  Soon  it  came  to  pass 
that,  in  the  legitimate  meaning  of  the  word  "senior,"  there  were  not  "senior  senators" 
enough  to  fill  the  quota  for  the  corporation  of  the  college,  and  a  fictitious  seniority  was 
invented,  to  be  conferred  by  lot.  Sometimes  from  a  fortunate  district  there  might 
come  a  senator  whose  ability  would  command  a  re-election  repeated  through  a  brief 
series  of  years ;  but  ordinarily  to  be  a  senior  senator,  and  therefore,  ex  officio,  a  Fellow 
of  Yale  College,  was  little  more  than  an  honorary  distinction — the  honor  not  despised, 
the  duty  not  considered.  The  provision  that  a  majority  of  the  ex  officio  members, 
together  with  a  majority  of  the  original  Fellows,  should  be  necessary  to  the  transaction 
of  business  became  impracticable,  and  in  1838  it  was  enacted  that  a  majority  of  the 
corporation,  "  provided  there  be  present  a  majority  of  those  who  are  by  election  suc- 
cessors of  the  original  trustees,"  should  thenceforth  be  a  quorum.  The  Governor  and 
Lieutenant-Governor,  through  all  changes  of  politics,  have  been,  with  rare  exceptions, 
punctual  in  their  attendance,  and  by  their  knowledge  and  experience  as  men  of  affairs, 
as  well  as  by  their  loyalty  to  the  institution  which  so  adorns  and  illuminates  the  State, 
they  have  rendered  efficient  service,  one  of  them,  or  both,  always  serving  on  the  Pruden- 
tial Committee.  But  of  the  senatorial  members  President  Woolsey  said,  in  1866,  "The 
senators  in  general  take  little  interest  in  the  proceedings,  are  apt  to  withdraw  before 
the  close  of  the  meetings,  and  seem  to  feel  that  they  are  in  a  strange  place.  We  have 
looked  over  the  records  of  thirty-five  meetings,  and  find  that  their  average  attendance 
is  2§|,  or  less  than  one-half.  Nor  is  it  likely  that  it  will  ever  be  greater,  while  the 
clerical  members  are  seldom  absent — on  the  average  scarcely  one  out  of  eleven."  * 
In  brief,  the  experiment  of  representing  the  State  in  the  corporation  by  a  sort  of 
delegation  from  "  the  upper  house,"  had  been  almost  entirely  frustrated  by  the 
foolish  "Constitutional  Amendment"  of  1828.     President  Woolsey  therefore  proposed  a 

*  New  Englander,  1866,  p.  700. 


1 82  YALE  COLLEGE. 

change,  which,  after  some  discussion  in  meetings  of  alumni  and  elsewhere,  was  boldly 
commended  to  the  legislature  by  Governor  Jewell  in  187 1,  and  was  suddenly  adopted 
by  that  body,  to  the  surprise,  perhaps,  of  many  who  voted  for  it.  The  act  of  1871 
being  promptly  accepted  by  the  corporation,  is  the  latest  amendment  of  the  charter. 

As  the  corporation  is  constituted  since  this  latest  change,  it  consists  of  the  President 
and  eighteen  Fellows  : — namely,  the  ten  who  hold  their  places  by  succession  from  the 
founders  of  the  "Collegiate  School  "  in  1700;  the  Governor  and  Lieutenant-Governor, 
who  represent  the  State  in  that  Scnatus  Academicus,  being  elected  annually  by  the 
people  of  Connecticut ;  and  six  representative  graduates  elected  by  their  fellow-gradu- 
ates, one  every  year,  for  a  term  of  six  years.  Since  1872,  the  names  of  senators  are 
seen  no  more  upon  the  catalogue,  but  in  their  place  are  names  more  illustrious  than 
the  roll  of  the  Connecticut  senate  is  likely  ever  to  show.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that 
one  of  the  six  first  elected  is  neither  a  statesman,  nor  a  lawyer,  nor  even  an  alumnus, 
though  a  graduate,  but  holds  his  honored  place  in  the  commonwealth  of  letters  simply 
by  right  of  his  large  and  far-seeing  munificence  in  the  interest  of  scientific  education. 

How  much  beside  splendor  the  corporation  has  gained  by  placing  representative 
graduates  in  the  chairs  once  belonging  to  State  senators,  is  not  easily  measured.  The 
ten  successors  of  the  original  trustees — the  ten  Connecticut  "  ministers  "  of  whom  not 
one  can  be  absent  from  a  meeting  without  some  anxious  inquiry  among  his  colleagues 
as  to  the  condition  of  his  health — must  be,  as  they  ever  have  been,  the  working  mem- 
bers of  the  corporation.  Yet  the  presence  of  the  eminent  men  who  (though  only  two 
or  three  be  present)  fill  and  more  than  fill  the  place  of  the  State  senators,  is  much 
more  than  a  merely  ornamental  and  honorary  addition  to  the  original  body  of  Fellows. 
Our  old  nursing  mother  may  well  regard  those  representative  graduates  as  not  only 
decus  but  tutamen.  At  every  session  of  the  corporation  or  of  its  Prudential  Committee, 
there  are  questions  on  which  the  judgment  of  such  men  is  of  great  value.  On  a  ques- 
tion involving  some  point  of  law,  a  word  from  one  or  another  of  them  is  a  solution  of 
the  doubt.  Advice  from  one  or  another  of  them  about  investments  and  securities  has 
the  authority  of  advice  from  an  expert.  What  is  more  important,  they  are  not  nor  can 
they  be  mere  youngsters,  eager  for  change  and  for  facile  methods  of  getting  through 
college,  but  genuine  representatives  of  Yale,  ever  conservative  of  sound  learning,  and 
ever  progressive  towards  better  methods  of  instruction  and  a  higher  plane  of  scholar- 
ship. They  are  and  can  hardly  fail  to  be  men  representing  the  common  thought  and 
culture  of  the  more  than  four  thousand  living  alumni — men  who  love  the  old  institu- 
tion for  the  sake  of  their  own  "  long  ago,"  and  for  the  sake  of  their  sons,  who  have 
already  won  or  are  hoping  soon  to  win  its  honors — men  familiar  with  its  history  and 
its  ways,  rejoicing  in  its  past,  assured  of  its  future,  and  proud  to  repay,  by  any  service 
in  their  power,  some  part  of  their  personal  debt  to  its  founders  and  its  benefactors. 

We  must  not  forget  the  honor  due  to  those  who  have  sustained  the  office  of  Secre- 
tary  to  the  corporation.  For  forty-three  years  after  the  legislative  explanation  and 
enlargement  of  the  charter  in  1723,  the  "clerk,"  authorized  by  that  act  and  denomi- 
nated "scribe  or  register"  in  the  charter  of  1745,  seems  to  have  been  chosen,  pro  hac 
vice,  at  each  meeting.     But  from   1770  onward,  the  Secretary,  as  he  is  now  called,  has. 


THE   CORPORA  TION. 


I83 


been  a  permanent  officer.  Diplomas  were  at  first  authenticated  by  the  latinized 
signatures  of  the  trustees.  In  later  years,  from  long  before  the  memory  of  the  oldest 
living  graduate,  the  names  only  of  the  President  and  Secretary  have  been  subscribed ; 
and  the  fee  for  signing  the  diplomas  and  affixing  the  college  seal  was  the  Secretary's 
only  compensation  for  his  service  to  the  corporation.  The  first  permanent  Secre- 
tary was  Warham  Williams,  pastor  of  Northford.  Next  was  Elizur  Goodrich,  D.D., 
already  mentioned,  who  served  from  1777  to  1788.  Then,  Enoch  Huntington,  of  the 
First  Church  in  Middletown  (of  whom  the  most  memorable  thing  is,  perhaps,  that 
President  Dwight  was  fitted  for  college  under  his  tuition),  filled  the  place  till  1 793. 
After  him  was  David  Ely,  D.D.,  of  Huntington,  whom  the  students  called  "  Old  Ab 
Archivist  All  these  were  "  Reverend  Fellows,"  but,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Ely  in  181 5, 
the  Hon.  Elizur  Goodrich,  who  had  been  a  Fellow  ex  officio  as  well  as  Professor  of  Law, 
was  chosen  Secretary.  His  name,  "  Elizur  Goodrich,  Secretaries,"  was  subscribed  to 
every  diploma  till  his  resignation,  in  extreme  old  age,  after  thirty  years  of  service. 
Then  the  Rev.  Samuel  R.  Andrew,  a  descendant  of  Rector  Andrew,  who  had  been 
nine  years  a  member  of  the  corporation  and  was  then  residing  in  New  Haven,  was 
elected  Secretary,  and  resigned  his  place  at  the  board.  His  successor,  at  the  end  of 
twelve  years,  was  Wyllys  Warner,  formerly  Treasurer  of  the  corporation,  and  to  be 
remembered  with  honor  for  his  agency  in  obtaining  from  the  alumni  and  others  an 
endowment  of  $100,000.  At  his  decease,  in  1869,  Franklin  B.  Dexter  was  chosen, 
whose  accession  marks  a  new  era.  He  was  already  Registrar  of  the  Faculty  in  the 
Academical  Department,  and  Assistant  Librarian,  and  by  the  performance  of  many 
other  important  duties,  had  proved  his  peculiar  competency  for  the  new  office  to  which 
he  was  elected,  and  which  he  still  continues  to  fill. 


THE     LIBRARY. 

BY  ADDISON    VAN  NAME. 


History  during  the  last  Century. — Contributions  to  the  Library  Fund. — Other  noteworthy  Gifts  in 
Books  or  Money.— Statistics  of  Growth. — Library  Building. — Librarians. — Society  Libraries. 

According  to  the  tradition  preserved  by  President  Clap,  when  the  founders  of  the 
college  came  together  for  its  formal  establishment  they  could  find  no  more  fit  act  in 
which  to  clothe  their  purpose  than  a  gift  of  books  for  the  library.  The  idea  of  making 
a  pile  of  books  take  the  place  of  the  customary  pile  of  bricks  is  so  happy  as  to  pre- 
dispose one  to  accept  the  evidence  of  its  truth.  The  position  thus  in  idea  assigned  to 
the  library  is  also  one  which,  so  far  as  we  can  see  into  the  future,  it  must  continue  to 
hold,  for  the  true  university  is  coming  more  and  more  to  be,  if  it  has  not  already 
become,  a  library  of  books.  The  tradition,  simply  as  a  tradition,  is  worth,  we  take 
it,  more  than  the  £30  at  which  President  Clap  estimates  the  forty  folio  volumes  said 
to  have  been  given  by  the  founders,  and  so  it  becomes  a  matter  of  minor  consequence 
whether  this  precise  number  was  actually  given  or  not. 

It  may  be  safely  assumed  that  the  books,  gathered  from  whatever  source  during  the 
first  dozen  years,  could  not  have  been  numerous  enough  to  make  the  transport  of  them 
during  the  early  migrations  of  the  college  a  matter  of  much  difficulty.  The  first 
important  accession  was  a  collection  sent  over  in  1 714  by  Jeremiah  Dummer,  agent  of 
the  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  colonies  in  London,  amounting  in  all  to  upwards  of 
seven  hundred  volumes,  of  which  ninety-two  were  his  own  gift,  and  the  rest  obtained 
by  his  solicitation.  Among  the  donors  were  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Sir  Richard  Steele, 
Sir  Richard  Blackmore,  Dr.  Halley,  Dr.  Bentley,  Dr.  Calamy,  Matthew  Henry,  Sir 
Edmund  Andros,  and  Sir  Francis  Nicholson.  Governor  Yale  added  thirty  or  forty 
volumes,  the  forerunner  of  a  larger  gift  to  follow.  About  the  same  time  Sir  John 
Davie,  formerly  of  Groton,  who  had  gone  to  England  a  few  years  before  to  take  pos- 
session of  an  estate  to  which  he  had  fallen  heir,  sent  over  some  two  hundred  volumes, 
chiefly  theological,  and  contributed  in  part  by  nonconformist  ministers  in  Devonshire. 
The  original   lists  which  accompanied  these  gifts  are  preserved   among   the    papers 

184 


THE  LIBRARY.  ^5 

of  the  college,  and  a  portion  of  the  books  can  still  be  identified,  Sir  Isaac  Newton's 
among  others.  The  absence  of  another  portion  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  circum- 
stances which  attended  the  removal  of  the  library  to  New  Haven  in  1718.  The  £2^ 
voted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  colony  as  an  indemnity  to  Saybrook  for  the  loss 
of  the  college  did  not  reconcile  the  inhabitants  to  the  removal,  and  the  execution  of 
the  sheriff's  writ  for  the  delivery  of  the  books  was  forcibly  resisted.  "In  this  tumult 
and  confusion,"  says  President  Clap,  "  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  most  valu- 
able books  and  sundry  papers  of  importance  were  conveyed  away  by  unknown  hands 
and  never  could  be  found  again."  The  library  on  reaching  New  Haven  was  reinforced 
by  three  hundred  volumes  from  Governor  Yale  and  seventy- six  volumes  from  Mr. 
Dummer. 

More  valuable  than  any  gift  that  preceded,  or  that  followed  for  nearly  a  hundred 
years,  was  that  which  came  from  Bishop  Berkeley  in  1733.  The  collection,  pro- 
nounced by  President  Clap  "  the  finest  that  ever  came  together  at  one  time  into 
America,"  and  judged  by  him  to  have  cost  at  least  ^400  sterling,  numbered  about  one 
thousand  volumes,  of  which  two  hundred  and  sixty  were  folios.  A  list  of  the  books, 
printed  by  Professor  Gilman  in  1865,  from  the  original  manuscript  in  the  possession  of 
the  college,  may  be  found  in  the  "  Papers  of  the  New  Haven  Colony  Historical 
Society,"  vol.  i.,  pp.  162-165.  There  remains  no  other  considerable  piece  of  good 
fortune  to  record  in  the  early  history  of  the  library.  By  small  gifts,  and  such  pur- 
chases, no  doubt  still  smaller,  as  the  slender  income  of  the  college  permitted,  it  slowly 
increased  down  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  In  the  first  catalogue  of  the  library 
published  by  President  Clap  in  1  743,  the  number  of  volumes  is  put  at  two  thousand 
-six  hundred;  in  the  edition  of  1755,  at  three  thousand.  In  his  "  Annals  "  (1766)  he 
says :  "  We  have  a  good  library,  consisting  of  about  four  thousand  volumes,  well  fur- 
nished with  ancient  authors,  such  as  the  Fathers,  Historians,  and  Classicks,  many 
modern  valuable  books  of  Divinity,  History,  Philosophy,  and  Mathematicks,  but  not 
many  authors  who  have  wrote  within  these  thirty  years,"  i.  c.  since  the  date  of  Bishop 
Berkeley's  gift.  During  the  war  the  library  was  removed  for  greater  security  to  the 
interior  of  the  State,  a  precaution  which  was  itself  not  free  from  danger,  as  the  cata- 
logue of  1  791,  in  which  only  two  thousand  seven  hundred  volumes  appear,  testifies. 

The  first  contribution  toward  a  permanent  fund  for  the  increase  of  the  library  was  a 
bequest  of  £\o  from  Rev.  Jared  Eliot,  of  Killingworth,  in  1763.  This  was  followed 
before  the  close  of  the  century  by  two  others,  one,  also  of  £10,  from  Rev.  Thomas 
Ruggles,  of  Guilford,  in  1777,  and  one  of  $1,122  from  Rev.  Samuel  Lockwood,  D.D., 
of  Andover,  Connecticut,  in  1  79 1.  Hon.  Oliver  Wolcott  gave  $2,000  to  the  fund  in 
1807.  In  1823,  Eli  Whitney,  of  New  Haven,  and  Daniel  Wadsworth,  of  Hartford, 
gave  each  $500,  the  former  for  books  in  practical  mechanics,  the  latter  for  books  in 
natural  history  and  chemistry.  John  T.  Norton,  of  Albany,  New  York,  gave,  in  1830, 
$5,000.  Six  years  later,  the  library  received  by  bequest  of  Dr.  Alfred  E.  Perkins,  of 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  who  died  in  1834,  $10,000,  the  largest  sum  that  up  to  that  time 
had  ever  been  given  to  the  college  by  any  one  person,  and  still  the  largest  contribu- 
tion to  the  library  fund.      A  bequest  for  theological  works,  made  by  Rev.  John  Elliott, 

VOL.  1. — 24 


1 86  YALE  COLLEGE. 

of  Guilford,  in  1824,  reached  in  1843  the  stipulated  amount,  $1,000,  and  was  added 
to  the  fund;  subsequent  accumulations  have  raised  it  to  $1,400.  A  legacy  of  $5,000 
from  Addin  Lewis,  of  New  Haven,  was  received  in  1849,  and  a  gift  of  $500  from 
Professor  James  L.  Kingsley  in  1850.  Mrs.  William  A.  Larned  gave,  in  1861,  $i,ioo 
for  a  music  fund.  In  1867,  Dr.  Jared  Linsly,  of  New  York,  gave  $5,000  (in  ten 
annual  payments)  for  the  department  of  modern  European  languages,  and  in  connec- 
tion with  this  gift  a  bequest  of  $3,000  made  to  the  college  by  Noah  Linsly,  of  Wheel- 
ing, Virginia,  the  income  of  which  had  been  assigned  by  vote  of  the  corporation  to  the 
library  from  1821  until  1851,  and  then  withdrawn,  was  again  restored  to  the  library, 
making  a  combined  fund  of  $8,000.  Hon.  Alphonso  Taft  gave  $1,000  in  1869,  and 
a  like  sum  was  received  from  an  anonymous  donor  in  1870.  Charles  H.  Board,  of 
Edenville,  New  York,  who  died  in  1871,  shortly  after  graduation,  left  to  the  library 
$2,500  for  books  in  the  department  of  political  and  social  science.  In  the  same  year 
Henry  W.  Scott,  of  Southbury,  Connecticut,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1863,  made  a 
bequest  which  now  amounts  to  $2,300,  but  is  to  accumulate  until  it  reaches  $5,000 
before  the  income  will  be  available.  The  class  of  1872  gave  at  graduation  $1,700, 
and,  in  1875,  $1,000  were  received  from  Mr.  Thomas  Hooker,  of  New  Haven,  the 
latest  contribution  to  the  fund.  These  several  gifts,  which  make  up  the  library  fund, 
amount  to  a  little  less  than  $45,000,  yielding  an  annual  income  (the  Scott  fund  is  not 
yet  productive)  of  $2,500. 

Of  the  gifts  other  than  to  the  library  fund  during  the  present  century,  the  following 
are  the  most  noteworthy  : 

In  1834,  the  publications  of  the  Record  Commission,  seventy-four  volumes,  folio, 
were  received  from  the  government  of  Great  Britain  ;  and  in  1847  a  copy  of  the 
Description  de  l'Egypte,  twenty-three  volumes,  folio,  from  Dr.  William  Hillhouse,  of 
New  Haven.  President  Woolsey,  in  1861,  gave  his  Greek  library,  of  nearly  one 
thousand  volumes,  and  has  since  made  repeated  and  valuable  gifts  to  this  and  other 
departments  of  the  library. 

The  greatest  of  all  the  benefactions  in  the  history  of  the  library  have  been  those  of 
Professor  Salisbury.  In  1870,  he  gave,  in  addition  to  his  already  large  and  costly  col- 
lection of  Oriental  books  and  manuscripts,  the  sum  of  $6,000  for  enlarging  it,  and  has 
since  given  other  sums  amounting  to  nearly  $2,000  for  the  same  object.  This  collec- 
tion, which  now  numbers  nearly  four  thousand  volumes,  includes  many  large  illustrated 
works,  such,  for  example,  as  those  of  Lepsius,  Rosellini,  Champollion  and  the  French 
Expedition  on  Egypt,  Botta's  Nineveh,  Flandin  and  Coste's  Persia,  Daniell's  Oriental 
Scenery,  Von  Siebold's  Japan,  Salzmann's  Jerusalem,  and  Owen  Jones'  Alhambra  ; 
complete  series  of  the  leading  Oriental  journals,  amounting  collectively  to  more  than 
four  hundred  volumes  ;  the  principal  Arabic  and  Sanskrit  works  edited  by  European 
scholars,  together  with  many  of  those  issued  from  the  native  presses,  and  ninety 
volumes  of  manuscripts,  mostly  Arabic.  No  other  department  of  the  library  approaches 
this  in  value  or  completeness. 

In  1 87 1,  Charles  Astor  Bristed  gave  $500  for  the  purchase  of  books  in  the  depart- 
ment of  classical  philology,  and  in  the  same  year  the  library  of  Robert  von  Mohl,  the 


LIBRARY.     MAIN    ROOM. 


THE  L1BRARF. 


87 


eminent  writer  on  political  science,  was  purchased  at  a  cost  of  $3,600,  toward  which 
Hon.  William  Walter  Phelps  contributed  $1,400.  Since  1874,  the  library  has  also 
enjoyed,  by  appointment  of  Mr.  Phelps,  the  benefit  of  the  John  J.  Phelps'  fund,  which 
brings  an  addition  of  $3,500  to  its  yearly  income. 

Hon.  Henry  Farnam,  in  addition  to  a  gift  of  $1,000  in  1873,  has  since  presented 
three  large  and  costly  works — Abbe  Migne's  Patrology,  both  the  Latin  and  the 
Greek  series,  in  three  hundred  and  eighty-seven  volumes,  Mansi's  Councils,  and  the 
Bullarium  Magnum  Romanum. 

From  George  Peabody  Wetmore,  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  the  library  received,  in 
1873,  $700  ;  from  Frederick  W.  Stevens,  of  New  York,  and  Professor  Marsh,  $500 
each,  for  Chinese  and  Japanese  literature.  Hon.  James  E.  English  gave,  in  1875,  a 
bound  set  of  the  Parliamentary  Papers  from  1865  to  1873  inclusive,  in  seven  hundred 
and  forty-two  volumes. 

Deserving  of  mention  here  are  also  Professor  Dana's  repeated  gifts,  amounting 
during  the  past  five  years  to  not  less  than  seven  hundred  volumes,  and  embracing 
several  long  and  valuable  series  of  scientific  journals.  Further,  a  fine  set  of  the  Annual 
Register,  one  hundred  and  seventeen  volumes,  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  1 838-1 874, 
seventy-four  volumes  (completing  our  set),  and  the  Archaeologische  Zeitung,  thirty 
volumes,  from  Mr.  R.  S.  Fellowes  ;  Tischendorf's  Monumenta  Sacra  Inedita  and  the 
Vatican  MS.  of  the  Greek  Scriptures,  edited  by  Vercellone  and  Cozza,  from  Rev. 
Edgar  L.  Heermance,  of  White  Plains,  New  York  ;  the  Journal  of  the  British  Archae- 
ological Association,  thirty  volumes,  and  Hutchins'  History  of  the  County  of  Dorset, 
from  Mr.  Theodore  S.  Woolsey ;  and  from  Henry  Holt,  Esq.,  New  York,  a  series  of 
his  publications  for  the  past  five  years. 

The  notable  increase  both  in  the  frequency  and  the  value  of  these  gifts  in  recent 
years  is  gratifying  both  for  the  present  happy  results,  seen  in  the  growth  of  the 
library,  and  as  an  augury  of  the  future.  Notwithstanding  the  addition  of  two  thousand 
volumes  by  purchase  in  1805,  the  catalogue  of  1808  gives  a  total  of  only  four  thousand 
seven  hundred  volumes.  In  1823,  the  date  of  the  last  printed  catalogue,  the  number 
was  six  thousand  five  hundred;  in  1835,  ten  thousand.  In  1845,  the  income  of  the 
library,  having  been  for  some  years  husbanded  with  this  object  in  view,  purchases  to 
the  amount  of  $8,000  were  made  by  Professor  Kingsley  in  Europe.  This  important 
accession  of  books,  taken  in  connection  with  the  fact  that  the  present  library  building 
was  then  just  ready  for  occupation,  and  that  the  librarianship,  which  had  hitherto 
been  attached  to  some  other  and  more  engrossing  college  duty,  became,  with  the 
appointment  of  Mr.  Herrick,  an  independent  office,  forms  a  marked  era  in  the  history 
of  the  library.  In  1850,  the  number  of  volumes  had  risen  to  twenty-one  thousand  ;  in 
i860,  to  thirty-five  thousand;  in  1870,  to  fifty-five  thousand;  it  now  exceeds  eighty 
thousand,  to  which  must  be  added  many  thousand  unbound  pamphlets.  For  some 
years  past,  the  average  annual  increase  has  been  equal  to  the  entire  growth  of  the  last 
century,  and  if  even  this  is  not  equal  to  the  multiplied  demands  of  the  present,  bur- 
dened as  we  are  with  long  arrears  in  the  past,  it  is  encouraging  to  note  that  the  curve 
which  marks  the  rate  of  our  recent  progress  is  a  rapidly  ascending  one. 


1 88  YALE  COLLEGE. 

On  the  removal  of  the  library  to  New  Haven  in  1718,  it  was  first  placed  in  the  new 
college  building  erected  in  part  by  the  bounty  of  Governor  Yale,  and  named  in  his 
honor.  It  was  removed  in  1763  to  the  Athenaeum,  in  1804  to  the  Lyceum,  in  1825  to 
the  late  chapel,  occupying  in  each  case  a  room  on  the  upper  floor.  The  present 
library  building  was  begun  in  1843,  and  though  not  completed  until  1846,  one  of  the 
smaller  rooms  was  made  ready  for  use  and  the  library  removed  to  it  in  1844.  Sub- 
scriptions amounting  to  $18,000  were  received  in  aid  of  the  building,  the  total  cost  of 
which  was  $34,000.  Professor  Salisbury  gave  $6,000,  President  Woolsey  $3,000,  the 
Rev.  Cortlandt  Van  Rensselaer  $600,  President  Day,  Professor  Goodrich,  Mr.  Henry 
D.  A.  Ward,  and  the  Hon.  Thomas  S.  Williams,  $500  each ;  and  others  smaller  sums. 
The  material  of  the  building  is  brown  sandstone  from  the  Portland  quarries,  and  the 
dimensions  are  as  follows  :  length  of  front,  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  feet ;  height  of 
towers,  ninety-one  feet ;  interior  dimensions  of  the  main  hall,  forty-one  feet  by  eighty- 
three  feet ;  of  the  connecting  wings,  twenty-six  feet  by  forty  feet ;  of  the  side  halls, 
twenty  feet  by  fifty-six  feet. 

Until  1805,  the  senior  tutor  performed  the  duties  of  librarian,  receiving  therefor  in 
the  time  of  President  Clap  an  additional  salary  of  £6.  Professor  James  L.  Kingsley 
was  librarian  from  1805  to  I824>  Professor  Josiah  W.  Gibbs  from  1824  to  1843,  Mr. 
Edward  C.  Herrick  from  1843  to  1858,  Mr.  Daniel  C.  Gihnan  assistant-librarian  from 
1856  to  1858,  and  librarian  from  1858  to  1865.  The  present  incumbents,  Addison  Van 
Name,  librarian,  and  Franklin  B.  Dexter,  assistant-librarian,  have  held  office,  the 
former  since  1865,  the  latter  since  1869. 

THE  SOCIETY  LIBRARIES. 

For  the  last  fifty  years,  the  undergraduate  students  have  been  accustomed  to  look  for 
the  supply  of  their  ordinary  needs  less  to  the  college  library  than  to  those  most  useful 
auxiliaries,  the  libraries  of  the  public  societies.  These  have  been  built  up  by  the 
efforts  of  the  students  to  provide  for  themselves  what  the  college  was  too  poor  to 
furnish — a  good  collection  of  books  in  general  literature.  The  Linonian  library,  which 
is  younger  by  sixteen  years  than  the  society  itself,  was  commenced  in  1 769,  Timothy 
Dwight,  Nathan  Hale,  and  James  Hillhouse  making  the  first  contribution  of  books. 
The  example  thus  set  was  soon  followed  by  the  Brothers  in  Unity,  but  for  half  a  cen- 
tury the  progress  of  both  libraries  was  exceedingly  slow.  About  1825,  the  advance 
became  more  rapid,  but  slackened  again,  after  1850,  when  the  interest  in  the  societies 
began  to  decline.  The  number  of  volumes  in  the  Linonian  library  has  been  as  follows : 
in  1800,  four  hundred  and  seventy-five;  in  181 1,  seven  hundred;  in  1822,  twelve  hun- 
dred; in  1831,  three  thousand  five  hundred;  in  1841,  seven  thousand  five  hundred;  in 
1846,  ten  thousand  one  hundred;  in  i860,  eleven  thousand  three  hundred;  in  1870, 
thirteen  thousand.  The  Brothers'  library  ran  an  almost  parallel  course,  the  mutual 
rivalry  suffering  neither  to  get  far  in  advance  of  the  other.  It  contained,  in  1808, 
seven  hundred  volumes  ;  in  1825,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  ;  in  1835,  four  thousand 
five  hundred;  in  1846,  nine  thousand  one  hundred;   in  1851,  eleven  thousand  six  hun- 


THE  LIBRARY. 


189 


dred  ;  in  i860,  twelve  thousand;  in  1870,  thirteen  thousand.  In  1871,  by  vote  of  the 
two  societies,  the  libraries  were  placed  under  the  control  of  the  college  library  com- 
mittee, with  the  understanding  that  they  should  be  united,  a  measure  recommended  by 
considerations  both  of  economy  and  convenience,  and  at  the  same  time  brought  into 
closer  relations  with  the  college  library.  This  union  was  accomplished  in  1872.  The 
two  libraries  were  placed  in  the  north  wing  of  the  building,  before  occupied  by  the 
Brothers'  library  alone,  and  in  the  rearrangement  preparatory  to  a  new  catalogue, 
several  hundred  volumes  more  appropriate  for  the  college  library  were  transferred 
thither,  and  several  thousand  duplicates  set  aside  for  sale  and  exchange.  The  number 
of  volumes  was  reduced  thereby  to  seventeen  thousand,  but  has  been  raised  by  subse- 
quent additions  to  twenty  thousand.  The  united  Linonian  and  Brothers'  library  is 
sustained  as  before,  by  a  tax  included  in  the  term-bills  of  the  undergraduate  students. 
The  amount  left  for  books  and  binding,  after  other  expenses  have  been  met,  is  not  far 
from  $2,000  a  year.  Though  kept  distinct  and  separately  catalogued,  this  library 
forms  essentially  one  department  of  the  college  library,  and  in  the  selection  of  books, 
which  is  now  made  for  both  libraries  by  the  same  committee,  this  mutual  relation  is 
kept  steadily  in  view  and  all  unnecessary  duplication  avoided. 

The  books  in  most  active  circulation  are  in  general  included  in  the  smaller  library ; 
and  for  this  a  printed  catalogue,  as  well  as  its  supplements  and  new  editions  from  time 
to  time,  will  remain  a  necessity.  The  catalogue  of  the  college  library,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  in  manuscript ;  each  title  on  a  separate  card,  and  the  authors  and  subjects 
arranged  in  separate  alphabets. 

The  Calliopean  Society,  organized  in  1819,  gathered  a  library  which  at  the  time  of 
its  dissolution,  in  1854,  amounted  to  six  thousand  volumes.  A  few  of  these  remained 
in  the  possession  of  the  college,  but  the  greater  part  were  sold. 

Before  they  were  removed  to  the  present  library  building,  these  three  libraries  occu- 
pied together  the  second  floor  of  the  Athenaeum. 

In  1867,  a  reading-room  well  furnished  with  newspapers  and  periodicals,  American 
and  English,  was  opened  in  South  Middle  College,  four  rooms  having  been  thrown 
into  one  for  the  purpose.  Better  provision  has  recently  been  made  for  it  in  the  room 
left  vacant  by  the  removal  of  the  cabinet  of  minerals  to  the  Peabody  Museum. 


THE     TREASURY. 


BY  HENRY    C.    KINGSLEY. 


The  Treasurers,  1701-1832. — Gifts  of  Money  from  the  State  of  Connecticut,  1701-1830. — Gifts  of 
Money  from  Individuals,  1 701-1830. — Gifts  of  Land,  1701-1830. — Financial  Condition  of  the  College 
in  1830. — Growth  of  the  Funds,  1833  to  1852. — Growth  of  the  Funds,  1852  to  1862. — Growth  of  the 
Funds  since  1862. — Present  Condition. — New  Buildings. — Treasury  Building. 

The  treasurers  of  Yale  College,  as  their  names  appear  on  the  Triennial  Catalogue, 
and  the  dates  of  their  appointment,  have  been  as  follows : 

1701.   Nathaniel  Lynde,  l776.  John  Trumbull, 

1701.  Richard  Rosewell,  1782.  James  Hillhouse, 

1702.  John  Ailing,  1^>33-  Wyllys  Warner, 

1  71 2.   John  Prout,  1852.   Edward  C.  Herrick, 

1765.   Roger  Sherman,  1862.   Henry  C.  Kingsley. 

The  first  named  of  these,  Nathaniel  Lynde,  was  a  highly  respected  citizen  of  Say- 
brook,  who  showed  his  friendship  to  the  college  by  giving  them  their  first  house,  but  it 
does  not  appear  that  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  to  which  he  had  been 
elected.  Richard  Rosewell,  a  resident  of  New  Haven,  was  then  chosen,  but  he  died  a 
few  months  after.  He  was  succeeded  by  John  Ailing,  also  a  citizen  of  New  Haven, 
who  continued  to  hold  the  office  until  the  removal  of  the  college  from  Saybrook  and  its 
establishment  in  New  Haven.  The  selection  of  residents  of  New  Haven  to  the  treas- 
urership  of  the  college,  before  the  college  was  permanently  placed  here,  is  an  indication 
of  the  tendency  toward  New  Haven  in  the  minds  of  the  trustees.  John  Prout,  whose 
appointment  as  treasurer  was  coincident  with  the  establishment  of  the  college  here,  was 
a  resident  of  New  Haven,  a  graduate  of  the  college,  of  the  class  of  1708.  He  con- 
tinued to  hold  the  office  of  treasurer  for  forty-eight  years.  During  his  long  life  he  was 
a  highly  respected  merchant  in  his  native  town,  conducting  what  was  regarded  at  that 
time  as  a  large  business.     It  is  worth  noting  that  his  accounts  with  the  college  were 

190 


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THE   TREASURY.  I9I 

kept  in  ounces  of  silver.  For  instance,  it  is  a  matter  of  record  that  the  total  receipts 
of  the  treasury  for  two  years  ending  July,  1761,  were  two  thousand  and  ninety-three 
ounces  and  eighteen  pennyweights  of  silver. 

To  him  succeeded  Roger  Sherman,  who  had  recently  removed  to  New  Haven,  and 
who  in  the  succeeding  year,  1  766,  was  appointed  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State.  His  important  field  of  labor  was  in  the  councils  of  the  nation,  where,  as  one  of 
the  committee  to  draft  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  his  name  is  conspicuous 
among  the  members  of  that  memorable  body.  During  his  nineteen  years  of  service  as 
a  senator  in  Congress,  his  history  is  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  country.  He  resigned 
his  treasurership  in  1776,  when,  at  the  opening  of  the  war  of  independence,  public 
affairs  engrossed  his  whole  attention. 

John  Trumbull  was  treasurer  for  six  years,  from  1776  to  1782.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  the  college,  of  the  class  of  1767,  and,  after  serving  his  alma  mater  as  tutor,  studied 
law  at  Boston  with  John  Adams,  who  became  the  second  President  of  the  United 
States.  On  his  returning  to  New  Haven  from  Boston,  Mr.  Trumbull  was  chosen 
treasurer,  and  filled  the  office  until  his  removal  to  Hartford,  in  1782.  Here  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession,  and,  in  1801,  was  chosen  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State 
of  Connecticut,  which  office  he  held  for  nineteen  years.  He  left  a  high  reputation  for 
learning  and  integrity.  He  is  also  well  known  from  his  famous  political  satire, 
"  McFingal,"  partly  written  at  New  Haven,  which  has  given  his  name  a  permanent 
place  in  the  literature  of  the  country. 

James  Hillhouse  was  graduated  at  Yale  College,  in  1773,  and  commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  New  Haven.  In  1782,  he  was  appointed  treasurer  of  the  college,  and 
continued  to  hold  the  office  until  his  death,  fifty  years  later.  During  the  whole  of  this 
period  he  attended  to  a  large  private  business,  and  for  most  of  the  time  he  was  deeply 
engrossed  with  public  duties.  Hardly  any  man  has  been  so  long  intimately  connected 
with  public  affairs  in  the  State  of  Connecticut  and  in  the  town  of  New  Haven  as  Mr. 
Hillhouse.  He  was  an  officer  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution.  In  1791,  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  Congress  ;  this  office  he  vacated  only  to 
become  Senator,  and  his  seat  in  the  Senate  he  resigned  only  to  enter  upon  the  duties 
of  Commissioner  of  the  School  Fund  of  the  State,  in  which  office  he  continued  until 
1825,  thus  completing  an  uninterrupted  public  service  of  thirty-four  years. 

It  will  be  readily  understood  that  none  of  these  gentlemen  devoted  very  much  time 
to  the  duties  of  the  office  of  treasurer  of  Yale  College.  Some  estimate  of  the  import- 
ance of  the  office  at  this  period,  and  of  what  was  expected  of  the  treasurer,  may  be 
formed  from  the  fact  that  when  Mr.  Hillhouse  was  chosen  to  the  office  his  salary  was 
fixed  at  £\o  per  annum,  while  that  of  a  tutor  was  £70. 

The  services  of  Mr.  Hillhouse  were  mainly  confined  to  giving  advice  and  devising 
plans  for  the  profit  of  the  college.  By  his  judicious  management,  some  valuable  por- 
tions of  the  present  college  square  were  secured  from  the  private  owners ;  and  with  the 
legislature  of  the  State,  and  in  other  ways,  his  services  to  the  college  were  important 
and  valuable. 

Through  all  this  period  from  the  foundation  of  the  college,  the  bills  for  tuition  and 


1 92  YALE  COLLEGE. 

room  rent  were  collected  of  the  students  by  the  steward,  who  furnished  board,  and 
received  his  own  dues  at  the  same  time  that  he  collected  those  of  the  college.  At  the 
time  of  the  entrance  of  Mr.  Hillhouse  on  the  treasurership,  the  income  of  the  college 
from  all  sources  was  ,£1,338  12s.  The  funds  of  the  college  were  very  small,  and  the 
care  of  them  could  not  have  been  very  onerous  to  the  treasurers.  But  small  as  the 
business  was,  I  find  that  much  of  it  was  performed  by  the  president  and  other  members 
of  the  corporate  board.  Repeatedly  was  some  one  member  or  more  appointed  to 
adjust  accounts,  to  obtain  security  for  debts,  to  prosecute  claims,  or  to  make  contracts. 
When  the  farm  in  Newport  was  given  to  the  college  by  Dean  Berkeley,  one  of  the 
trustees  was  appointed  to  go  to  Newport,  take  possession  of  the  farm,  and  lease  it. 
The  same  course  was  pursued  in  the  case  of  the  Litchfield  county  farms  granted  by  the 
State.  President  Clap  made  the  contracts  for  and  superintended  the  building  of  Con- 
necticut Hall,  the  house  for  the  Professor  of  Divinity,  and  the  chapel,  and  settled  with 
the  contractors  and  made  his  reports  to  the  corporation — all  which  services  would,  in 
these  later  days,  be  required  of  the  treasurer. 

The  amount  of  money  received  by  the  college  from  the  State  of  Connecticut,  from 
1700  to  1792,  was  $24,399.10.  Of  this  sum,  $2,220  was  raised  by  a  lottery  autho- 
rized by  the  State  in  1747,  and  more  than  $5,000  came  from  the  avails  of  a  French 
prize  brought  into  New  London  by  an  armed  vessel  of  the  State.  Neither  of  these 
sums  came  directly  out  of  the  treasury. 

In  the  year  1792,  the  college  received  from  the  State  a  grant  of  certain  taxes  not 
then  collected,  and  which,  it  was  supposed,  would  not  be  needed  for  their  original  pur- 
pose, which  yielded  $40,629.80.  This  grant,  which  was  very  timely,  as  it  was  greatly 
needed  by  the  college,  was  obtained  by  the  influence  and  active  exertions  of  the  treas- 
urer, Mr.  Hillhouse,  whose  personal  character  and  valuable  services  to  the  State  gave 
him  great  weight  with  the  legislature.  The  grant  was  made  after  the  report  of  a  com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  legislature  to  examine  the  affairs  of  the  college,  in  which  they 
say:  "The  treasury  is  in  much  better  condition  than  we  apprehended.  We  are  bound 
to  observe  that  the  affairs  of  the  corporation  have  been  managed  with  great  dexterity, 
prudence,  and  economy."  In  181 6,  the  college  also  received  from  the  State  $8,785.70; 
and  in  183 1,  from  a  bonus  paid  for  a  bank  charter,  $7,000. 

The  donations  of  individuals,  up  to  the  close  of  Mr.  Hillhouse's  treasurership,  had 
not  been  large.  Governor  Elihu  Yale  gave,  in  addition  to  books  for  the  library,  goods 
which  yielded  £400  sterling ;  Gurdon  Saltonstall,  Governor  of  the  State,  gave  £50, 
and  Madam  Saltonstall,  £\o;  Anthony  Nougier,  of  Fairfield,  £2"/;  Gershom  Clark, 
of  Lebanon,  £$$  10s. ;  and  the  Hon.  Philip  Livingston  £2%  10s.,  as  the  commence- 
ment of  a  fund  for  the  support  of  a  Professor  of  Divinity.  Jahaleel  Brenton,  of 
Newport,  Rhode  Island,  gave  £50.  Dr.  Daniel  Lathrop,  of  Norwich,  Connecticut, 
who  died  in  1782,  left  by  will  £500.  Dr.  Lathrop  was  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1733. 
He  studied  medicine  in  London,  and,  in  connection  with  his  brother,  Dr.  Joshua  Lath- 
rop (Yale  College,  1743),  established  a  drug  store  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  which  for 
many  years  was  the  only  store  of  the  sort  in  the  State.  In  1789,  Rev.  Samuel  Lock- 
wood,  D.D.,  gave  £100  to  the  college  for  philosophical  apparatus,  and  after  his  death 


THE    TREASURY.  I93 

the  college  received  under  his  will  $1,100.  Dr.  Lockwood  was  a  graduate  of  the  class 
of  1 745,  and  a  member  of  the  corporate  board  for  fourteen  years,  until  his  death  in 
1 791.  The  Hon.  Oliver  Wolcott,  who  had  been  Governor  of  the  State,  as  well  as  his 
father  and  grandfather  before  him,  gave  $2,000  in  1807,  the  income  of  which  he 
directed  to  be  expended  for  the  increase  of  the  library.  He  was  graduated  in  the 
class  of  1778.  Noah  Linsly  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  at  his  graduation 
in  1 79 1,  and,  after  serving  as  tutor,  removed  to  Wheeling,  Virginia,  where  he  became 
successful  in  the  practice  of  the  law.  At  his  death,  in  18 14,  he  left  the  college,  by  will, 
the  sum  of  $3,000  for  the  increase  of  the  library.  Eli  Whitney,  Esq.,  the  inventor  of 
the  cotton-gin,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1792,  also  gave,  in  1822,  $500  for  the  pur- 
chasing of  books  in  mechanical  and  physical  science.  These  were  the  important 
donations  in  money  received  by  the  college  from  private  persons,  available  for  the 
Academical  Department,  previous  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Hillhouse. 

The  college  received  several  valuable  gifts  of  land.  From  Major  James  Fitch,  in  the 
year  1701,  six  hundred  and  thirty-seven  acres  in  the  town  of  Killingly,  which  was  sub- 
sequently exchanged  for  about  the  same  quantity  in  the  town  of  Salisbury ;  from  Rev. 
Richard  Salter,  a  farm  in  Mansfield ;  from  Dean  Berkeley,  a  farm  in  Newport,  Rhode 
Island ;  from  Joseph  Peck,  two  acres  in  the  town  of  New  Haven ;  and  from  the  town 
authorities,  eight  acres  adjoining  the  "  Peck  land."  The  State  of  Connecticut  also 
granted  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Litchfield  county. 

Philosophical  apparatus  was  purchased  by  friends  of  the  college  in  1 734,  and  pre- 
sented to  the  institution;  and  in  1825  the  extensive  collection  of  minerals  made  by 
Colonel  George  Gibbs,  which  had  been  deposited  with  the  college  since  181 2,  was  pur- 
chased with  funds  subscribed  for  the  purpose. 

Previous  to  1830,  a  small  beginning  had  been  made  towards  providing  a  fund  for  the 
Medical  Department,  which  amounted  to  about  $4,000.  Funds  for  the  Dwight  Pro- 
fessorship in  the  Theological  Department,  amounting  to  about  $19,000,  and  for  the 
Professorship  of  Sacred  Literature,  amounting  to  about  $9,000,  were  secured  between 
the  years  1820  and  1830.  Timothy  Dwight,  Esq.,  the  eldest  son  of  President  Timothy 
Dwight,  was  the  largest  contributor  to  these  last-named  funds. 

About  the  year  1830,  the  financial  affairs  of  the  college  were  at  a  very  low  ebb. 
The  first  printed  statement  of  the  finances  of  the  college  appeared  in  that  year,  from 
which  we  find  that  the  total  productive  funds,  not  including  land,  amounted  to 
$30,856.26,  while  there  were  outstanding  liabilities  against  the  college  amounting  to 
$13,000.  The  total  income  from  funds  that  year  was  $2,673.66.  In  1831,  the  receipts 
from  all  sources,  including  tuition,  were  $19,674.87,  while  the  expenses  were  $20,208.38. 
In  1832,  the  receipts  were  $20,000.08;  the  expenses,  $23,028.87*.  The  income  from 
funds,  in  that  year,  was  only  $2,555.86.  This  state  of  things  alarmed  the  friends  of  the 
college,  and  a  movement  was  inaugurated  to  raise  the  sum  of  $100,000  for  the  general 
purposes  of  the  college.  Rev.  Wyllys  Warner,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1826,  was 
selected  as  the  agent  to  solicit  the  money.  The  president  and  professors  subscribed 
largely  from  their  scanty  incomes,  and  by  strenuous  effort  the  sum  was  raised,  mostly 
in  moderate  amounts.  The  Senior  class,  which  was  graduated  in  1831,  gave  $1000. 
vol.  1. — 25 


194 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


In  1832,  Mr.  Hillhouse  died,  having-  held  the  office  of  treasurer  for  fifty  years.  Mr. 
Stephen  Twining,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1795,  who  had  been  steward  of  the  col- 
lege since  18 19,  and  who  not  only  acted  as  assistant  treasurer,  as  did  the  preceding 
stewards,  but  to  whom  the  title  and  official  position  were  given,  died  in  the  same  year. 
Mr.  Warner,  who  had  exhibited  much  skill  and  judgment  in  his  soliciting  agency,  was 
selected  to  be  treasurer,  and  to  take  care  of  the  fund  he  had  secured.  He  was  the  first 
treasurer  who  gave  his  whole  time  to  the  duties  of  the  office.  His  administration, 
which  continued  until  1852,  was  judicious,  and  he  left  the  funds  increased  in  amount. 

During  this  period,  the  DeForest  Fund,  which  grew  out  of  a  donation,  in  1825,  of 
Mr.  David  C.  DeForest,  of  New  Haven,  of  the  sum  of  $5,000,  had  accumulated  to 
$25,000,  and  became  available.  Mr.  Sheldon  Clark,  a  farmer  of  Oxford,  in  New 
Haven  county,  who  had  become  interested  in  the  college,  and  especially  in  some 
branches  of  natural  science,  gave  all  his  property  to  the  corporation.  A  part  of  this, 
when  it  had  accumulated  so  as  to  amount  to  $20,000,  was  appropriated  to  the  foun- 
dation of  the  Professorship  of  Moral  Philosophy — the  first  professorship  regarded  as 
fully  endowed.  Four  thousand  dollars  were  also  appropriated  to  found  the  "  Clark 
Scholarship,"  and  about  $14,000  were  added  to  the  General  Fund  of  the  college.  Dr. 
Alfred  E.  Perkins,  of  Norwich,  Connecticut,  of  the  class  of  1830,  left  by  will  $10,000 
for  the  library.  Fifteen  thousand  dollars  were  contributed  to  establish  the  Professor- 
ship of  Natural  Philosophy  by  a  legacy  from  Israel  Munson,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
Upwards  of  $10,000  were  given  by  Mr.  Edward  E.  Salisbury  and  others,  for  the 
beginning  of  a  foundation  for  the  establishment  of  the  Silliman  Professorship  of  Nat- 
ural History.  Several  other  valuable  donations  were  made  to  the  Library  Fund,  as 
well  as  to  the  Gratuity  Fund  for  the  aid  of  needy  students. 

The  funds  of  the  Theological  Department,  already  existing,  were  increased  in 
amount,  and  the  Pastoral  Professorship  Fund  was  commenced,  mostly  from  the  liberal 
donations  of  Professor  C.  A.  Goodrich.  The  general  fund  of  this  department  now 
amounted  to  $14,000.  The  fund  of  the  Medical  Department  had  been  increased,  so 
that  it  amounted  to  $14,450.  A  law  library  was  purchased  for  the  Law  Department, 
at  a  cost  of  between  $5,000  and  $6,000. 

The  funds  of  the  college  have  been  also  largely  increased  by  a  purchase,  made 
by  Mr.  Warner,  of  a  considerable  amount  of  unproductive  real  estate  in  the  town 
of  New  Haven,  which  Mr.  Augustus  L.  Hillhouse  inherited  from  his  father,  the  late 
treasurer.  This  gentleman  had  long  resided  in  Paris,  and  desired  to  convert  his  prop- 
erty into  something  which  would  give  him  an  income.  By  the  advice  of  his  relatives, 
and  especially  of  his  sister,  Miss  Mary  L.  Hillhouse,  whose  love  for  the  college  was 
second  only  to  her  desire  to  aid  her  brother,  Mr.  Hillhouse  sold  the  property  to  the 
college  on  advantageous  terms  of  payment ;  but  so  doubtful  was  the  corporation  of  the 
advantage  of  the  purchase,  that  it  was  only  made  upon  their  being  secured  against 
eventual  loss.  By  the  growth  of  New  Haven  and  the  rise  in  value  of  real  estate,  the 
college  has  gained  much.  In  1852,  Mr.  Warner  was  compelled  by  infirm  health  to 
resign  his  office,  and  was  succeeded  by  Edward  C.  Herrick,  who  had  been  for  nine 
years  the  librarian  of  the  college,  and  who,  for  some  time  previous  to  Mr.  Warner's 


THE   TREASURY.  !95 

resignation,  had  rendered  him  valuable  aid  in  the  treasurer's  office.  Mr.  Herrick  con- 
tinued to  be  treasurer  until  his  death,  in  1862. 

Large  additions  were  made  to  the  funds  during-  this  period.  A  second  subscription 
in  aid  of  the  college  was  successful  in  adding  a  little  more  than  $100,000  to  the  avail- 
able means  of  the  institution. 

A  foundation  for  the  Professorship  of  Modern  Languages  was  commenced  by  Mr. 
Augustus  R.  Street,  of  the  class  of  181 2;  and  for  the  Professorship  of  Sanskrit  and 
Comparative  Philology  by  Mr.  Edward  E.  Salisbury,  of  the  class  of  1832.  Several 
scholarships  were  established,  among  them  the  Harmer  Scholarship,  by  a  legacy  of 
$10,000  from  Thomas  Harmer  Johns,  of  the  class  of  181 8;  the  Macy  Scholarship,  by  a 
legacy  from  William  A.  Macy,  of  the  class  of  1844. 

The  Theological  Department  received  an  addition  to  its  funds  by  the  gift  of  $10,000 
from  Professor  Chauncey  A.  Goodrich;  of  $15,000  from  Mr.  Benjamin  Hoppin,  of 
Providence,  Rhode  Island;  of  $5,000  from  Miss  Lucretia  Deming,  of  New  York;  and 
a  legacy  of  $10,000  from  Mr.  William  Burroughs,  of  the  class  of  1843. 

The  Scientific  Department  received  from  Mr.  John  T.  Norton,  of  Farmington,  its 
first  gift,  about  $5,000,  which  was  largely  supplemented  by  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Sheffield, 
whose  name  the  department  bears,  who  gave  not  only  the  building  now  known  as 
Sheffield  Hall  and  the  land  on  which  it  stands,  with  the  appurtenances,  but  also  a  fund 
of  $50,000. 

The  fund  of  the  Medical  Department  was  also  increased  by  a  small  amount. 

The  present  treasurer  commenced  his  term  of  service  in  1862,  and  the  additions  to 
the  funds  since  that  time  have  been  quite  large. 

A  fund  for  the  cultivation  of  sacred  music,  for  which  Mr.  Joseph  Battell,  of  New 
York  city,  had  previously  given  $5,000,  has  been  increased  to  $10,000  by  the  liberality 
of  Mrs.  Irene  Larned,  who  has  also  made  several  other  valuable  gifts  for  other  pur- 
poses. The  fund  for  the  support  of  a  Professor  of  Divinity,  which  was  commenced  in  the 
year  1 746,  and  supplemented  by  some  small  additions,  has  been  increased  by  about  the 
sum  of  $40,000,  the  donation  of  Hon.  S.  B.  Chittenden,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  The 
Dunham  Fund,  the  income  of  which  is  applied  to  the  support  of  the  Dunham  Professor 
of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature,  received  $10,000  from  Mr.  Austin  Dunham,  of 
Hartford,  and  $12,623  from  other  persons  in  smaller  sums.  A  fund  for  the  support  of 
a  Professor  of  History,  has  been  commenced  by  the  gift  of  $15,000.  The  fund  which 
Mr.  A.  R.  Street  commenced  before  this  period,  he  raised,  during  this  time,  to 
$31,690. 

Fellowship  funds  amounting  to  $19,000  have  been  provided;  $10,000  by  Mrs. 
Theodosia  D.  Wheeler,  in  memory  of  her  son,  William  Wheeler,  of  the  class  of  1855, 
who  lost  his  life  in  the  late  war.  The  Douglas  Fellowship,  also,  has  been  established 
by  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Douglas  Miller,  in  memory  of  her  brothers — Sutherland  Douglas, 
of  the  class  of  1822,  and  George  H.  Douglas,  of  the  class  of  1828.  A  Fellowship 
Fund  of  $25,000,  payable  in  1883,  has  been  devised  to  the  college  by  H.  W.  Foote,  of 
the  class  of  1866. 

The  library  funds   have  been    increased   about  $14,000   in   amount,  $5,000   having 


196  VALE  COLLEGE. 

been  sjaven  by  Dr.  Jared  Linsly  to  supplement  the  gift  of  his  uncle,  Noah  Linsly,  here- 
tofore mentioned. 

A  legacy  of  $2,000  received  from  the  estate  of  Mr.  W.  W.  DeForest,  of  New  York, 
has  established  a  prize  scholarship  for  excellence  in  the  modern  languages ;  and  a  gift 
of  $5,000  from  Buchanan  Winthrop  of  the  class  of  1862,  another  for  the  most  thorough 
acquaintance  with  the  Latin  and  Greek  poets. 

The  funds  of  the  Theological  Department  have  been  largely  increased.  Hon. 
William  A.  Buckingham,  late  Governor  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  adding  $25,000 
to  a  previous  donation  of  $5,000  ;  Mr.  David  Smith,  of  Norwich,  giving  $5,000 ;  Rev. 
Charles  Nichols,  of  New  Britain,  $3,000 ;  Mr.  W.  W.  De  Forrest,  of  New  York, 
$5,000,  and  other  donors  smaller  sums. 

By  the  legacy  of  Mr.  Augustus  R.  Street,  $47,865  have  been  received  for  a  Profes- 
sorship in  this  department,  but  the  income  is  not  yet  available.  Mr.  Samuel  Holmes, 
of  New  York,  has  secured  the  sum  of  $25,000  for  a  Professorship  of  the  Hebrew  Lan- 
guage and  Literature,  of  which  $14,000  have  been  received. 

Scholarships  in  this  department  amounting  to  $38,219  have  been  established.  Of 
this  amount  $14,500  were  received  from  Rev.  David  Root;  $5,000  from  Mr.  J.  B. 
Beadle,  of  New  York,  and  $3,069  from  a  legacy  of  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Goodman. 

Mr.  Henry  W.  Sage,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  has  given  $10,000  to  found  the 
Lyman  Beecher  Lectureship. 

The  Sheffield  Scientific  School  has  received  valuable  gifts.  Mr.  Sheffield  has  added 
to  his  former  donations  various  sums  at  different  times,  which  amount  in  the  aggregate 
to  not  less  than  $350,000,  including  the  cost  of  the  two  large  buildings  occupied  by 
the  school. 

Among  the  other  large  donors  are  Hon.  William  W.  Phelps,  Hon.  W.  E.  Dodge, 
and  the  late  Mr.  Joseph  Sampson,  of  New  York;  Hon.  James  E.  English,  late 
Governor  of  the  State  of  Connecticut ;  Hon.  O.  F.  Winchester,  Hon.  Henry 
Farnam,  Mr.  R.  S.  Fellowes,  and  the  late  William  W.  Boardman,  Esq.,  of  New 
Haven.  Mr.  M.  D.  Collier,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  a  graduate  of  the  Academical 
Department,  of  the  class  of  1866,  gave  also,  in  the  name  of  his  brother,  Thomas 
F.  Collier,  a  student  in  this  department,  recently  deceased,  $6,000  for  the  purchase 
of  apparatus. 

Dr.  John  De  Forest,  of  Watertown,  Connecticut,  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1826, 
gave  $5,000  to  the  Medical  Department,  in  addition  to  other  liberal  gifts  to  other 
departments. 

In  1 87 1,  a  movement  was  set  on  foot  to  raise  $500,000  for  the  college,  to  be  called 
the  Woolsey  Fund,  in  honor  of  the  late  President  of  the  college,  and  a  committee  was 
appointed  by  the  graduates  for  the  purpose.  This  committee  has  collected  and  paid 
over  to  the  treasurer  $150,000,  and  the  work  is  still  in  progress. 

Dr.  Henry  Bronson,  of  New  Haven,  has  given  $5,000  to  aid  in  the  support  of  a 
Professor  of  Comparative  Anatomy.  Twenty-four  thousand  dollars  have  been  given 
for  the  foundation  of  a  Professorship  of  Botany.  The  Professorship  of  Sanskrit  and 
Comparative  Philology,  which  had  before  been  partially  endowed  by  Mr,  Edward  E. 


THE   TREASURY.  Xo7 

Salisbury,  as  has  been  already  mentioned,  has  received  from  die  same  liberal  donor  a 
further  amount,  making  the  fund  $50,000. 

Hon.  James  E.  English  has  given  $10,000  as  a  fund  for  a  Law  Library,  as  well  as 
other  sums  to  the  College  Library  and  for  other  purposes. 

The  foregoing  statement  is  not  intended  to  be  exhaustive.  The  list  of  donors,  even 
of  comparatively  large  sums,  to  the  first  $100,000  fund,  to  the  fund  of  1854,  and 
especially  to  the  recent  fund  still  in  progress,  is  quite  too  large  for  publication  in  a 
statement  like  this.  Indeed  these  funds  have  come  into  the  treasury,  not  in  detail,  but 
in  gross  amounts. 

This  sketch  would  be  incomplete,  however,  without  making  mention  of  the  build- 
ings which  have  been  added  to  the  college  property  within  the  past  ten  years,  the 
payments  for  which  have  been  made  by  the  college  treasurer,  mostly  from  donations 
given  for  these  specific  purposes.  Some  of  these  are  a  direct  source  of  revenue  to  the 
institution,  and  all  contribute  indirectly  to  the  income  of  the  college.  The  Yale  School 
of  Fine  Arts,  commenced  in  1864,  was  the  gift  of  Mr.  Augustus  R.  Street,  whose 
large  donations  to  other  departments  of  the  college  have  been  already  mentioned.  It 
was  completed  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $200,000.  His  legacy  for  the  support  of  the  school, 
and  the  gifts  of  his  widow  for  the  same  purpose,  have  been  quite  large. 

Farnam  College  was  commenced  in  1869,  and  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about 
$1 25,000.  The  principal  part  of  this  sum  was  the  gift  of  Hon.  Henry  Farnam,  who  has 
also  made  liberal  donations  to  almost  all  the  various  departments  of  the  college,  some 
of  which  have  been  mentioned  in  other  places.  East  Theological  Hall  was  commenced 
in  the  same  year,  1869,  and  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about  $180,000. 

Durfee  College  was  commenced  in  1870,  and  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  about 
$130,000.  This  amount  was  the  gift  of  Mr.  B.  M.  C.  Durfee,  of  Fall  River,  Massa- 
chusetts. Mr.  Durfee  entered  college,  but  was  compelled  to  leave  on  account  of  ill 
health,  and  died  soon  after  the  completion  of  the  building  which  bears  his  name. 

West  Theological  Hall  was  commenced  in  1873,  and  was  completed  at  a  cost  of 
about  $160,000.  One  half  of  this  amount  was  the  gift  of  Mr.  Frederick  Marquand, 
of  Southport,  who  also  built  the  Marquand  Chapel.  Among  the  other  large  donors  to 
the  new  buildings  for  the  Theological  Department  may  be  mentioned  Messrs.  Aaron 
and  Charles  Benedict,  of  Waterbury,  who  gave  $20,000 ;  Hon.  W.  E.  Dodge  and  Hon. 
S.  F.  B.  Morse,  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Daniel  Hand,  of  New  Haven,  have  given 
$10,000  each;  Mr.  E.  E.  Salisbury,  $6,000;  and  there  have  been  a  large  number  of 
donations  of  $5,000  and  smaller  sums. 

The  Battell  Chapel  is  named  in  memory  of  Mr.  Joseph  Battell,  of  New  York,  who 
besides  being  a  liberal  benefactor  of  the  college  in  other  ways,  gave  the  sum  of 
$35,000  towards  the  erection  of  a  chapel.  This  sum,  with  its  accumulations,  was  sup- 
plemented by  his  legacy  of  $50,000,  and  by  large  gifts  from  his  family  connections  and 
a  few  other  friends  of  the  college. 

Mention  will  more  properly  be  made  elsewhere  of  those  funds,  of  which  the  college 
receives  the  income,  which  are  not  in  the  care  of  the  treasurer  ;  such  as  the  Agricul- 
tural   College   Fund   in   the  hands  of  the  Commissioner  of  the   School    Fund  of  the 


i98 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


State ;  the  Higgin  Fund,  the  Peabody  Museum  and  its  Fund,  and  the  Fund  for  the 
Winchester  Observatory. 

The  funds  of  the  Academical  Department  now  amount  to  about  $700,000;  the  funds 
of  the  Theological  Department  to  about  $300,000 ;  the  funds  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific 
School  to  about  $165,000  ;  the  funds  of  the  Medical  Department  to  a  little  over 
$21,000  ;  and  the  University  funds  to  over  $230,000. 

The  income  from  all  sources  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1876,  was  over  $300,000. 
If  this  statement  is  compared  with  the  condition  of  the  college  in  1830,  the  growth  of 
the  funds  seems  large  ;  but  if  the  list  of  instructors,  now  numbering  ninety-two,  is  com- 
pared with  the  list  of  1830,  and  if  the  increased  appliances  for  instruction  are  taken 
into  account,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  funds  have  not  kept  pace  with  the  actual  growth 
of  the  institution,  and  are  now  clearly  insufficient  for  the  greatest  usefulness  of  the 
college. 

In  1 83 1,  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  corporation  to  erect  a  building  west  of 
the  college  chapel,  for  the  exhibition  of  the  paintings  of  Colonel  John  Trumbull,  which 
the  college  proposed  to  purchase  from  him.  The  committee  was  authorized  to  pro- 
vide accommodations  for  other  needs  of  the  college  in  the  same  building.  In  pursuance 
of  this  authority  the  Trumbull  Gallery  was  erected.  An  office  on  the  ground  floor  was 
fitted  up  for  the  treasurer's  use,  where  the  business  of  the  college  was  conducted  until 
1868,  when  on  the  completion  of  the  School  of  Fine  Arts  and  the  removal  of  the 
Trumbull  paintings  to  the  gallery  of  that  school,  the  main  story  of  the  Trumbull 
Gallery  was  altered  so  as  to  provide  sufficient  accommodation  for  the  Treasury  as  well 
as  rooms  for  the  President  and  for  the  meetings  of  the  Faculty  and  those  of  the  cor- 
poration.    The  building  is  now  known  as  the  Treasury. 


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aO|  40  ;         100 

■•.  1791    1             ] 

'  J«        •    42    \                                              lis 

1T+ 

*■                       .16                      »                                                               41* 

C  OLLE GE                                 ST. 

•a..—..... 

—J 

THE     COLLEGE     GREEN. 

BY  HON.  HENRY  WHITE. 


Original  Allotment  of  the  College  Square,  A.  D.  1639. — The  Joshua  Atwater  Lot  obtained  for 
the  College,  A.  D.  171 6. — Purchase  of  Portions  of  the  Cockerell  and  Constable  Lots,  A.D.  1745. 
— Enlargement  of  the  College  Grounds,  A.D.  1783. — Opening  of  High  Street,  A.D.  1790. — The 
whole  East  Front  of  the  College  Green  secured,  A.D.  1800. — The  final  Purchase  made,  A.D.  1858. 

One  of  the  distinctive  features  of  the  topography  of  New  Haven,  which  dates  from 
its  first  settlement  in  1639,  is  its  nine  squares  of  equal  size,  containing  each  about 
seventeen  acres,  and  symmetrically  arranged  so  as  to  form  a  larger  square,  each  of 
whose  sides  has  a  length  of  about  half  a  mile. 

The  center  square  of  these  nine  was  left  open  for  public  uses,  and  was  at  first 
and  for  many  years  called  "The  Market  Place,"  in  accordance  with  the  ancient  cus- 
tom of  many  English  towns  where  open  spaces  were  left,  to  which  the  surrounding 
population  might  bring  provisions,  fuel,  and  other  commodities  for  sale,  on  stated 
market  days.  With  the  disuse  of  this  custom  in  New  Haven,  the  name  has  fallen 
out  of  use ;  and  the  center  open  square  is  now  called  by  the  significant  name  of 
The  Green. 

The  buildings  of  the  Academical  Department  of  Yale  College  are  located  on  the 
middle  square  of  the  westerly  tier  of  squares,  and  now  occupy  the  whole  of  the  easterly 
division  and  a  part  of  the  westerly  division  of  the  original  square,  now  divided 
unequally  by  High  street.  In  1639,  this  original  square  was  parceled  out  by  the  first 
settlers  into  fourteen  home-lots  of  various  areas,  the  largest  containing  about  three 
acres,  and  the  smallest  about  one  quarter  of  an  acre.  These  were  allotted  to  fourteen 
members  of  the  company  of  the  first  settlers,  or  free  planters,  as  they  then  called 
themselves,  who  had  furnished  either  money,  skill,  or  labor  for  the  enterprise.  The 
number  of  persons  in  the  family,  as  well  as  the  amount  of  money  furnished  for  the 
enterprise,  were  taken  into  account  in  determining  the  size  of  the  allotment  of  each 
planter. 

199 


200  YALE  COLLEGE. 

The  opening  of  High  street,  in  1790,  divided  this  original  square  into  two  parallelo- 
grams, of  which  the  east  division  is  the  larger.  The  grounds  of  the  Academical 
Department  include  the  whole  of  the  east  division,  which  division  is  about  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length  on  College  street,  and  has  an  average  width  of 
about  four  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  They  also  include  a  part  of  the  west  division 
at  its  northeast  corner,  which  part  is  about  four  hundred  and  ten  feet  in  length 
on  High  street,  and  in  width  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  eighty 
feet* 

The  first  purchase  of  the  college  on  this  original  square  was  of  the  lot  on  the  corner 
of  College  and  Chapel  streets,  extending  about  two  hundred  and  seventy  feet  on  Col- 
lege street,  and  about  two  hundred  feet  on  Chapel  street,  and  having  an  area  of  about 
one  acre  and  a  quarter. 

In  1639,  this  was  allotted  first  to  Joshua  Atwater,  who  was  rated  for  two  persons  and 
for  ^300  estate.  He  was  a  merchant  from  London,  or  Ashford,  in  the  adjoining 
county  of  Kent,  and  much  respected  and  trusted.  He  was  treasurer,  first  of  the  town 
of  New  Haven,  and  then  of  the  "jurisdiction,"  or  colony.  He  built  and  occupied  a 
mansion  house  on  this  lot,  and  after  a  residence  of  a  few  years  in  New  Haven, 
removed  first  to  Milford,  and  afterwards  to  Boston.  He  died  in  Boston,  in  1659.  It 
is  supposed  that  his  descendants  in  the  male  line  soon  became  extinct,  and  that  the 
numerous  families  bearing  the  name  of  Atwater  in  New  Haven  and  its  vicinity  are 
descended  from  his  brother,  David  Atwater,  who  was  also  one  of  the  original  settlers 
of  New  Haven. 

After  the  departure  of  Joshua  Atwater,  this  house  and  lot  became,  by  purchase,  the 
residence  and  home-lot  of  William  Tuttle,  one  of  the  original  company  of  settlers, 
whose  descendants  in  this  country  are  numbered  by  thousands.  After  his  death  it  was 
sold,  in  1686,  to  the  widow  Hester  Costar,  who  died  in  1691,  and  left  it,  by  her  will,  to 
the  "First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  Haven,"  to  be  improved  towards  the  maintaining 
of  a  lecture  in  New  Haven  in  the  spring  and  fall  of  the  year. 

The  church  leased  the  property  for  a  few  years,  but  finding  that,  as  the  house 
became  old,  it  was  an  unprofitable  investment  producing  no  income,  sold  it  in  171 7, 
under  a  power  given  to  them  by  her  will,  to  the  "trustees,  partners,  and  undertakers 
for  the  Collegiate  School." 

On  this  lot  the  first  college  building  was  erected. 

The  location  of  the  college  in  New  Haven  was  at  that  time  strongly  opposed  by 
many  in  the  northern  and  eastern  parts  of  Connecticut,  and  several  attempts  were 
made  to  induce  the  legislature  to  interfere  in  the  question  of  its  location ;  but  the  trus- 
tees steadily  pursued  their  determination  of  settling  the  college  at  New  Haven.  In 
October,  1716,   nearly  a  year  before  the  execution  of  the  deed  of  conveyance,  they 

*  In  describing  the  successive  purchases  of  the  college  on  this  original  square,  the  streets  will  be  designated  by  their  present 
names.  At  first,  "  The  Town  Street  "  was  the  name  used  in  records  and  in  deeds  for  every  street  in  the  town  plot  ;  and  if  a 
more  particular  identification  of  any  street  was  necessary,  it  was  described  as  the  street  which  led  to  or  by  some  well-known 
house  or  shop.  In  giving  a  general  idea  of  the  dimensions  of  the  lot  by  its  length  and  breadth,  no  greater  exactness  will  be 
attempted  than  to  give  the  number  of  feet  expressed  by  the  nearest  multiple  of  ten,  except  when  the  dimension  is  less  than  fifty 
feet. 


THE  COLLEGE  GREEN.  2Ql 

raised  the  frame  of  a  college  building  on  this  lot,  and  within  a  year  after  the  frame  was 
raised,  and  about  a  month  after  the  deed  of  the  lot  from  the  church  was  executed,  a 
building  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  long,  and  twenty-two  feet  wide,  and  three 
stories  high,  was  finished,  containing  fifty  convenient  rooms  for  students,  besides  a  hall, 
library,  and  kitchen,  at  a  cost  of  about  one  thousand  pounds  sterling,  making,  as 
President  Clap  in  his  history  assures  us,  "a  handsome  appearance."  According  to  the 
same  authority,  "a  splendid  Commencement  was  held  in  New  Haven  in  the  next  Sep- 
tember." Most  of  the  money  given  for  the  erection  of  this  building  was  conditional 
upon  the  location  of  the  college  in  New  Haven. 

At  the  time  of  the  execution  of  the  deed  to  the  college,  a  mansion-house  and  barn 
were  standing  on  the  lot,  probably  fronting  on  Chapel  street,  and  the  college  building 
was  probably  on  the  north  part  of  the  lot,  fronting  and  near  the  Market  Place,  or 
Green. 

After  this  first  purchase,  in  171 7,  there  was  no  enlargement  of  the  college  ground  for 
nearly  thirty  years.  Then  the  number  of  students  had  so  increased  that  an  additional 
college  building  was  needed,  and  for  this  purpose  two  adjoining  pieces  of  land  were 
purchased — a  small  piece  on  the  west  side  in  1 745,  and  a  larger  one  on  the  north  side 
in  1750. 

The  original  lot  next  west  of  Joshua  Atwater's  lot,  and  containing  about  one  and  a 
half  acres,  was  first  allotted  to  Mr.  Cockerell,  who  was  rated  for  one  person  and  ^200 
estate.  He  never  came  to  occupy  it,  and  the  lot  was  put  under  the  care  of  Thomas 
Fugill,  the  "public  notary,"  or  recording  officer  of  the  town,  afterwards  called  the  Sec- 
retary. He  built  a  house  on  the  lot,  probably  for  rent,  as  he  had  a  house  on  his  own 
allotment  in  another  part  of  this  square.  The  house  on  this  lot,  as  might  be  expected, 
was  poorly  constructed. 

In  1646  he  left  the  town,  under  censure,  for  making  a  false  record  for  his  own  advan- 
tage, and  as  Mr.  Cockerell  never  joined  the  colony,  and  it  was  important  that  the  lot 
should  have  an  owner  who  would  pay  the  rates  and  keep  up  the  fences,  this  lot,  with 
Mr.  Cockerell's  other  lands,  was  offered  to  Allen  Ball.  He  was  willing  to  take  the 
lands  but  not  the  house,  because,  as  he  said,  it  was  uncomfortable  to  live  in,  "  the 
chimney  and  the  cellar  being  both  liable  to  fall."  The  town  proposed  to  make  some 
repairs,  and  he  then  accepted  it. 

Allen  Ball  died  about  1710,  and  the  greater  part  of  this  lot,  with  probably  the  same 
old  house,  put  in  good  order  by  the  town,  continued  to  be  the  dwelling-place  and 
home-lot  of  his  descendants  through  four  generations.  It  was  the  Ball  home-lot  for 
more  than  one  hundred  and  seventy  years.  It  passed  by  will  and  deed  of  gift,  in 
1710,  to  Sergeant  John  Ball,  the  son  of  Allen ;  in  1722  to  Ensign  John  Ball,  son  of  the 
sergeant;  in  1732  to  Deacon  Stephen  Ball,  son  of  the  ensign;  and  in  1800  to  Colonel 
Stephen  Ball,  son  of  Deacon  Stephen.  A  small  part  of  the  lot  was  purchased  by  the 
college  in  1745,  and  another  small  part  exchanged  with  the  college  in  1783;  but  the 
principal  purchase  by  the  college  was  made  of  the  children  of  Colonel  Stephen  Ball, 
in  18 1 8,  as  will  be  mentioned  hereafter  in  its  place. 

The  original  lot  next  north  of  the  Atwater  lot,  containing  about  one  and  five-eighths 
vol.  1. — 26 


y 


202  YALE  COLLEGE. 

acres,  was  first  allotted  to  Mrs.  Constable,*  who  was  rated  for  three  persons  and  for 
^150  estate. 

Soon  after  coming  to  New  Haven  she  married,  for  her  second  husband,  Deacon 
Richard  Miles.  There  was  a  house  built  on  the  lot,  which,  in  1652,  he  sold  to  Thomas 
Wheeler,  whose  widow  married  Josias  Stanbrough,  of  Southampton,  Long  Island,  and 
they,  in  1657,  sold  it  to  Thomas  Tuttle,  who,  in  1710,  conveyed  it  by  deed  of  gift  to 
his  youngest  son,  Joshua  Tuttle,  "with  the  tables,  forms,  pot-hangers,  and  other  con- 
veniences belonging1  to  it." 

Joshua  Tuttle  built  an  addition  to  the  house,  and  was  the  owner  of  it  in  1750. 

The  necessary  enlargement  of  the  college  lot  for  the  location  of  the  new  building 
alluded  to  was  effected,  first,  by  purchasing,  in  1  745,  of  Eliphalet  Ball,  a  son  of  Ensign 
John  Ball,  a  part  of  the  Cockerell  or  Ball  lot  adjoining  on  the  west,  which  purchase 
was  forty-one  feet  wide  on  the  street,  and  about  two  hundred  and  seventy  feet  in 
length;  and,  second,  by  purchasing  of  Joshua  Tuttle,  in  1750,  a  part  of  the  Constable 
lot  adjoining  the  college  on  the  north,  twenty  feet  in  width  on  the  market-place,  and 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  from  which  was  excepted  a  small  strip 
twenty  feet  long  and  one  and  a-half  feet  wide,  which  was  then  covered  by  one  room  of 
the  old  part  of  the  Tuttle  house. 

By  these  enlargements,  room  was  obtained  for  erecting,  in  1750,  a  second  college 
building  one  hundred  feet  long,  forty  feet  wide,  and  three  stories  high,  besides  the  gar- 
rets, which  building  was,  as  President  Clap  reports,  "  set  back  in  the  yard,  that  there 
might  be  a  large  and  handsome  area  before  it,  and  was  set  toward  the  north  side  of 
the  yard,  with  a  view  that  when  the  old  college  should  come  down,  another  college,  or 
chapel,  or  both,  should  be  set  on  the  south  of  the  new  building."  This  building  was 
eleven  and  a  half  feet  south  from  the  north  line  of  the  enlarged  college  lot,  and  was 
commenced  in  April,  1750,  and  the  outside  was  finished  in  September,  1752.  It  was 
named  Connecticut  Hall,  by  an  order  of  the  corporation  of  the  college,  but  is  now  bet- 
ter known  as  South  Middle  College.  The  records  of  the  college  inform  us  that  it  was 
built  "  in  a  very  elegant  and  handsome  manner."  It  has  undergone  some  alterations 
since  that  time. 

The  remainder  of  the  Constable  or  Tuttle  lot,  after  the  first  sale  to  the  college  by 
Joshua  Tuttle,  in  1750,  was  sold,  in  1780,  by  his  descendants,  to  John  Scott,  formerly 
of  Enfield,  Connecticut,  who,  it  is  said,  occupied  the  old  house  as  a  tavern. 

The  college  grounds  remained  without  further  enlargement  for  another  period  of 
about  thirty  years,  although  "  the  buildings  would  not  contain  all  the  students." 

The  next  enlargement  was  in  1 783,  and  was  again  towards  the  north,  when  another 
strip  from  the  Tuttle  lot  was  purchased  of  John  Scott,  extending  the  former  purchase, 
of  twenty  feet  in  width,  westward,  of  the  same  width,  to  the  rear  of  the  Constable  lot, 
and  within  about  thirty  feet  of  the  present  east  line  of  High  street.     Six  years  after- 

*  Mr.  Hoadly,  in  a  note  to  his  edition  of  the  New  Haven  Colony  Records,  states  that  there  was  a  Sir  William  Constable, 
who  had  proposed  to  come  to  New  England  with  Mr.  Ezekiel  Rogers,  and  that  it  is  known  that  the  New  Haven  company  had 
sought  earnestly  to  induce  Mr.  Rogers  and  his  company  to  unite  with  them. 

This  Mrs.  Constable  may  have  been  connected  with  his  family. 


THE  COLLEGE   GREEN.  20\ 

wards,  in  1 789,  the  executors  of  John  Scott  sold  the  college  another  portion  of  the 
Constable  lot,  forty  feet  in  width,  running  back  from  College  street  to  the  rear  of  the 
lot ;  and  seven  years  later,  in  1 796,  the  executors  sold  to  the  college  the  remainder  of 
the  Constable  lot,  containing  about  one  acre,  with  the  dwelling-house  then  on  it. 

In  1783,  the  college  made  an  exchange  of  land  with  Deacon  Stephen  Ball,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  college  lot  on  Chapel  street,  giving  to  Ball  twelve  feet  front  on  Chapel 
street,  extending  north,  of  the  same  width,  half  the  length  of  the  lot,  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  feet,  and  receiving  from  Ball  a  piece  from  the  north  end  of  his  lot, 
thirty-six  feet  wide,  and  extending  south  to  meet  the  first-mentioned  piece. 

The  remainder  of  the  east  front  of  this  original  square  was  first  allotted  in  two  lots 
to  John  Evance,  a  London  merchant,  and  to  a  Mr.  Mayres,  who  is  called  his  brother. 
Mr.  Evance  was  rated  for  one  person  and  for  ^500  estate,  and  Mr.  Mayres  for  two 
persons  and  for  ,£800  estate.  Mr.  Mayres  did  not  become  a  settler,  and  Mr.  Evance 
took  both  lots,  containing  together  about  four  acres,  and  built  a  house  on  the  north- 
west part  of  the  lot,  and  fronting  on  Elm  street.  In  1646,  John  Gregory  and  Robert 
Preston  each  purchased  such  a  proportion  of  the  allotment  made  to  Mr.  Mayres  as 
was  denoted  by  ^100,  and  in  carrying  out  this  arrangement  Mr.  Evance  relinquished 
to  John  Gregory  half  an  acre  fronting  on  the  market-place,  from  the  south  part  of  the 
Mayres  and  Evance  lots ;  and  to  Robert  Preston  about  five-eighths  of  an  acre,  with  a 
house  fronting  on  Elm  street,  from  the  west  side  of  the  lot,  retaining  a  large  lot  for 
himself  of  about  three  acres. 

John  Gregory,  who  was  a  shoemaker,  built  a  house  on  his  lot.  In  1655,  he  removed 
to  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  and,  in  1656,  sold  his  house  and  lot  to  Thomas  Wheeler, 
whose  widow,  having  married  Josias  Stanbrough,  of  Southampton,  Long  Island,  sold  it, 
in  1657,  to  Alexander  Field,  a  baker,  whose  widow,  Gillian  Field,  gave  it  by  will  to 
the  children  of  Joseph  Mansfield,  her  son  by  her  former  husband,  Richard  Mansfield ; 
from  Joseph  Mansfield  it  was  purchased  by  John  Ailing,  a  weaver,  and,  in  1699,  he,  on 
his  removal  to  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  sold  it  to  Samuel  Mix. 

Mr.  Evance  returned  to  London  before  1656,  and  probably  died  there,  for  his  widow, 
who  had  married  Henry  Hatsell,  of  London,  sold  the  house  and  lot  in  1672,  through 
the  agency  of  Captain  Thomas  Lake,  of  Boston,  a  son-in-law  of  Stephen  Goodyear,  of 
New  Haven,  to  the  trustees  of  the  Grammar  School  in  New  Haven,  and  John  Evance, 
of  London,  her  son,  united  in  the  sale.  By  these  trustees  it  was  sold,  in  1691,  to  Rich- 
ard Williams,  who  is  called  a  "practitioner  in  physic,"  and  by  him,  in  1692,  to  George 
Pardee,  who  had  been  master  of  Hopkins  Grammar  School,  and  by  Pardee,  in  1699,  it 
was  sold  to  Samuel  Mix. 

Samuel  Mix  thus  became,  in  1699,  the  owner  of  the  whole  of  the  original  Mayres 
and  Evance  lots,  except  the  portion  relinquished  to  Preston.  Samuel  Mix  died  in 
1730,  and  by  his  will  gave  the  two  lots  purchased  of  George  Pardee  and  John  Ailing, 
with  the  house,  to  his  son,  Samuel  Mix,  who,  according  to  the  old  map  of  New  Haven, 
was  a  schoolmaster. 

In  1753,  Samuel  Mix,  the  son,  sold  for  "ninety-four  Spanish  pieces  of  eight,"  to 
Benjamin  Franklin,  then  of  Philadelphia,  in  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania,  a  small  lot 


204  YALE  COLLEGE. 

on  the  south-cast  corner,  next  to  the  Constable  lot,  having  a  front  of  fifty  feet  on  the 
street  by  the  market-place,  and  a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  described  as  being 
near  the  court-house.  Franklin  and  James  Hunter  were  deputy-postmasters  of  the 
British  government  for  their  American  colonies.  In  1754,  it  was  thought  important, 
because  of  the  French  war,  that  there  should  be  a  post-office  in  New  Haven,  and  they 
appointed  James  Parker,  who  was  then  the  principal  printer  in  New  York,  to  be  the 
postmaster.*  There  had  been  a  correspondence  between  President  Clap  and  Franklin 
on  the  subject  of  a  printing-office  in  New  Haven,  and  Franklin,  in  the  hope  of  making 
an  opening  for  his  nephew,  Benjamin  Mecom,  had  procured  printing  materials  from 
England,  which  were  received  there  in  the  fall  of  1  754.  But  Mecom  declined  to  come 
at  that  time,  and  Parker  was  induced  to  undertake  the  printing-office.  He  accordingly 
purchased  the  printing  materials  of  Franklin,  for  which  he  gave  his  bond,  and  also 
purchased  this  lot  of  Franklin,  for  which  he  paid  ninety  dollars  in  cash.f  The  lot  was 
probably  first  purchased  by  Franklin  as  a  location  for  the  printing-office  and  post- 
office,  but  Parker  seems  to  have  preferred  the  corner  on  the  south  side  of  Chapel 
street,  opposite  the  college.  He  at  once  printed  an  edition  of  the  college  laws,  and 
soon  commenced  the  publishing  of  a  newspaper  called  the  Connecticut  Gazette,  which 
was  advertised  to  be  printed  "  near  the  Hay  market."  By  this  was  probably  meant  the 
"market-place,"  now  called  the  Green,  on  which  the  farmers  were  accustomed  to  drive 
their  loads  of  hay  and  wood  for  sale.  In  1756,  Parker  had  associated  with  himself  in 
the  publishing  of  the  paper  and  care  of  the  post-office,  John  Holt,  a  brother-in-law  of 
James  Hunter,  the  colleague  of  Franklin  in  the  office  of  deputy-postmaster,  and  the 
paper  was  advertised  to  be  printed  at  the  post-office  by  James  Parker  &  Co.  Holt 
conducted  both  the  paper  and  the  post-office.  In  1757,  it  was  "printed  by  James 
Parker  &  Co.,  at  the  post-office  near  Captain  Peck's,  at  the  Long  Wharf,"  and,  in  1760, 
"at  the  house  where  Mr.  Greenough  lately  lived,  near  Captain  Trowbridge's,  at  the 
water  side."  This  was  the  west  corner  of  Meadow  and  Water  streets.  In  April,  1  764, 
the  paper  was  suspended.  Its  publication  was  resumed  in  July,  1765,  by  Franklin's 
nephew,  Benjamin  Mecom,  who  was  appointed  postmaster  in  New  Haven  in  that  year. 
There  appears  to  have  been  no  building  on  this  lot  purchased  by  Franklin,  while 
Parker  owned  it.  Parker  died  in  or  before  1774,  and  devised  this  lot  to  his  daughter 
Jane,  the  wife  of  Gunning  Bedford,  of  Wilmington,  Delaware.  In  1785,  Bedford  and 
his  wife  sold  the  lot  to  Jonathan  Ingersoll,  State  Attorney  for  New  Haven  county,  for 
the  use  of  the  county  for  a  jail,  and,  in  1 791,  Ingersoll  conveyed  the  lot  to  the  county  of 
New  Haven,  with  the  jail,  which  had  been  erected  on  it.  The  north  line  of  the  college 
lot  was  then  about  one  hundred  feet  from  the  jail,  the  house  and  lot  of  the  widow  of 
John  Scott  being  between  the  jail  and  the  college. 

In  1790,  the  heirs  of  Samuel  Mix  sold  to  the  county  a  strip  of  land  eight  feet  in 
width  on  College  street,  adjoining  the  county  lot,  to  be  used  for  setting  on  it  "  a  jail 
and  jailer  house." 

Before  the  year  1 799,  the  town  of  New  Haven  had  acquired  a  small  piece  of  land  in 

*  Thomas's  History  of  Printing,  vol.  i.,  p.  410. 

f  Parker's  Letters  to  J.  Ingersoll,  in  possession  of  Hon.  C.  R.  Ingersoll,  dated  February  19,  1767,  and  March  14,  1768. 


THE  COLLEGE  GREEK. 


205 


the  rear  or  west  part  of  this  county  lot,  and  had  erected  on  it  an  almshouse.  In  1799, 
the  county  of  New  Haven  sold  to  the  college  for  "  1,000  dollars  and  the  building-  of  a 
new  jail,"  the  lot  on  which  the  jail  and  jailer's  house  stood,  bounding  it  on  the  west  by 
land  of  the  town  of  New  Haven;  and  in  1800  the  town  sold  this  rear  lot  and  alms- 
house to  the  college,  describing  it  as  bounded  on  all  sides  by  the  land  of  the  college. 

Samuel  Mix,  who  had  received  from  his  father  the  large  corner  lot  of  Mr.  Evance, 
died  in  1757,  and  in  1796,  the  same  year  in  which  the  college  had  completed  the 
acquisition  of  the  whole  of  the  Constable  lot,  they  also  purchased  of  the  daughter  and 
granddaughter  of  Samuel  Mix,  viz.,  Elizabeth  M.  Fitch  and  Abigail  M.  Brainerd,  the 
whole  of  the  Evance  lot,  excepting  the  small  lot  on  which  the  jail  and  almshouse  stood, 
and  thus  became,  in  1800,  the  owners  of  the  whole  front  on  College  street,  from 
Chapel  street  to  Elm  street.  This  purchase  included,  beside  the  Evance  lot,  a  lot 
which  had  a  front  on  High  street,  and  which  had  been  purchased  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Mary  Fitch  from  the  home-lot  of  John  Hotchkiss,  as  will  be  afterwards  mentioned,  and 
also  a  small  piece  which  the  town  had  purchased  of  Jonathan  Austin,  in  the  rear  of  his 
lot,  and  had  exchanged  with  Mrs.  Fitch  for  her  land  taken  on  High  street.  On  the 
same  day,  in  1 796,  in  which  this  large  purchase  was  made,  the  college  also  purchased 
of  Jeremiah  Atwater,  steward  of  the  college,  the  rear  or  east  end  of  his  lot,  which  had 
its  front  on  York  street,  and  which  had  been  separated  from  the  larger  part  of  the  lot 
by  the  opening  of  High  street,  in  1790.  It  contained  about  seventeen  rods,  and  was 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  in  front  on  High  street,  and  extended  south  to  the 
Ball  lot.  These  seventeen  rods  were  the  rear  east  end  of  the  original  lot  allotted  to 
Thomas  Yale,  the  father  of  Elihu  Yale,  whose  timely  generosity  is  commemorated  by 
the  name  which  the  college  bears,  so  that  the  south-west  corner  of  the  lot  on  which  the 
library  building  of  the  college  stands,  is  a  part  of  the  home-lot  of  the  father  of  Elihu 
Yale,  on  which  he  resided  until  his  death,  and  on  which  it  is  supposed  this  son  was 
born.  The  vacant  ground  occasioned  by  the  recess  of  the  wings  of  the  building  is  a 
part  of  the  Yale  home-lot.  These  purchases  extended  the  central  part  of  the  college 
land  to  High  street,  leaving  still  in  the  hands  of  other  owners  on  the  north  the  remain- 
der of  the  home-lot  of  John  Hotchkiss,  and  on  the  south  the  lot  on  the  east  corner  of 
Chapel  and  High  streets,  then  owned  by  Henry  Daggett,  adjoining  which  was  the 
remaining  part  of  the  Ball  lot,  with  a  front  on  Chapel  street  of  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy  feet,  which  was  still  owned  by  that  family. 

This  energetic  movement  for  an  enlargement  of  the  territory  of  the  college  occurred 
in  the  first  year  of  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Dwight,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  those 
vigorous  and  well-directed  labors  for  the  advance  of  the  college  in  all  its  departments 
which  characterized  his  administration  and  gave  prominence  to  the  college.  In  these 
financial  movements  he  was  ably  assisted  and  sustained  by  the  experience  and  enter- 
prise of  James  Hillhouse,  then  the  honored  and  efficient  treasurer  of  the  college. 

The  original  allotment  next  west  of  Mr.  Cockerell,  in  Chapel  street,  contained 
about  one  acre,  and  was  allotted,  in  1639,  to  Edward  Wigglesworth,  who  built  a  house 
upon  it,  and,  in  1646,  sold  the  house  and  lot  to  Samuel  Wilson,  who,  in  1648,  sold  it  to 
Thomas  Powell. 


206  VALE  COLLEGE. 

The  small  lot  next  west  of  this,  containing  about  one  quarter  of  an  acre,  was  origi- 
nally allotted  to  the  same  Thomas  Powell,  who  in  1648  became  the  owner  of  these  two 
original  allotments  and  of  the  house  on  the  Wigglesworth  lot.  He  died  in  1681,  and 
by  his  will  gave  to  his  grandson,  John  Tuttle,  the  small  lot  and  the  house  on  the 
larger  or  Wigglesworth  lot,  and  to  his  granddaughter,  Hannah  Tuttle,  the  remainder 
of  the  Wigglesworth  lot,  if  on  her  marriage  she  should  have  need  to  build  a  house, 
otherwise  he  gave  it  to  the  said  John  Tuttle.  The  need  for  Hannah  to  build  never 
occurred,  for  John  Tuttle,  at  his  death,  in  1735,  was  the  owner  of  both  lots  and  the 
house. 

In  1 749,  about  half  an  acre  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Wigglesworth  lot,  being  about 
seventy  feet  in  front  on  Chapel  street  and  three  hundred  feet  in  depth,  was  conveyed 
by  Moses  Tuttle,  the  only  son  of  John  Tuttle — in  part  directly  and  in  part  through 
Eliphalet  Ball — to  Nathaniel  Porter,  and  in  1751  Nathaniel  Porter  conveyed  it  to 
Joshua  Porter,  of  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  and  in  1753  Joshua  Porter  conveyed  it  to 
Jonathan  Fitch,  steward  of  the  college. 

In  1764,  Jonathan  Fitch  purchased  of  Dorothy  Peck,  one  of  the  daughters  of  John 
Tuttle,  another  and  adjoining  portion  of  the  Wigglesworth  lot,  it  being  forty-three  feet 
in  front  and  about  two  hundred  and  seventy  feet  in  depth,  which  gave  him  a  front  on 
Chapel  street  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  feet.  By  these  two  purchases  he  became 
the  owner  of  about  three-quarters  of  the  original  Wigglesworth  lot  on  its  easterly  side, 
and  in  1775  sold  it  to  Henry  Daggett.  It  does  not  appear  that  at  this  time  there  was 
any  building  on  this  part  of  the  Wigglesworth  lot. 

In  1790,  the  opening  of  High  street  forty  feet  in  width  left  to  Mr.  Daggett,  on  the 
easterly  side  of  High  street,  a  lot  about  twenty-six  feet  in  front  on  Chapel  street, 
adjoining  to  the  Cockerell  or  Ball  lot. 

In  1802,  Anna  Daggett,  one  of  the  children  of  Deacon  Stephen  Ball,  with  her  hus- 
band, sold  to  Henry  Daggett  above  named  a  lot  sixty  feet  wide  on  the  street  from  the 
west  side  of  the  Ball  lot  extending  north  the  whole  length  of  the  Ball  lot ;  and  in 
1806,  Henry  Daggett  sold  from  the  northerly  end  of  his  land,  on  the  east  side  of  High 
street,  to  John  Scholes,  a  small  lot  thirty  feet  wide  on  High  street,  and  extending  east 
about  ninety  feet.  Scholes  built  a  house  and  barn  on  it,  and  in  1813  sold  the  lot,  with 
the  buildings,  to  Martha  Kimberly,  and  in  1835,  after  her  decease,  Dennis  Kimberly, 
her  administrator,  sold  it  to  the  college. 

In  18 18,  Stephen  Ball  and  his  sister,  Abigail  Ball,  sold  to  the  college  the  remaining 
part  of  the  Ball  lot,  containing  about  three-quarters  of  an  acre.  Henry  Daggett  died 
in  1830,  and  in  1833  his  children  and  grandchildren  sold  to  the  college  that  part  of  his 
lot  which  was  on  the  east  side  of  High  street,  extending  thereby  the  front  of  the  col- 
lege on  Chapel  street  over  the  whole  distance  from  College  street  to  High  street. 

That  part  of  the  Mayres  and  Evance  lot  on  Elm  street,  which,  with  the  house  on  it, 
had  been  relinquished  to  Robert  Preston,  and  which  contained  about  five-eighths  of  an 
acre,  was  sold,  after  Preston's  death,  by  the  overseers  of  his  will,  in  1654,  to  James 
Heaton,  and,  in  1673,  was  conveyed  by  Heaton  to  his  mother,  Elizabeth,  who  was  then 
the  widow  of  William  Judson.     In  1679,  she  conveyed  it  to  her  children,  James  Heaton 


THE  COLLEGE   GREEN.  2Oj 

and  Elizabeth  the  wife  of  John  Mix,  and,  in  171 2,  James  Heaton  relinquished  his  part 
to  his  brother-in-law,  John  Mix.  At  the  death  of  John  Mix,  in  171 2,  the  whole  lot, 
with  the  house,  became  the  property  of  his  son,  John  Mix,  junior,  and  after  his  death 
was  sold  by  his  daughter,  Mehitabel  Mix,  in  1724,  to  James  Bishop  the  cooper,  who 
about  the  same  time  became  the  owner  of  the  small  original  allotment  next  west  of 
Robert  Preston,  containing  three-quarters  of  an  acre.  This  last  piece  was  first  allotted 
to  Abraham  Bell,  and  was  sold  by  him,  in  1647,  to  Job  Hall,  and,  in  1664,  was  sold 
by  Hall  to  Deacon  William  Peck  in  trust  for  his  kinsman,  Leonard  Austin,  a  minor ; 
William  Peck  sold  it,  in  1664,  to  Thomas  Beaumont ;  at  the  death  of  Beaumont  there 
was  a  house  on  the  lot,  probably  a  small  one,  for  Beaumont  and  all  the  previous 
owners  were  poor  men,  but  whether  built  by  Beaumont  or  a  previous  owner  is  uncer- 
tain, Beaumont  died  in  1686,  and  his  son-in-law  and  administrator,  Eleazar  Stent, 
sold  the  house  and  lot  to  John  Asbell,  who,  in  1689,  conveyed  it  by  a  deed  of  gift  to 
his  cousin,  Duncan  Garnock,  a  gunsmith.  In  1690,  it  was  sold  by  Garnock  to  George 
Scott,  who  was  also  a  gunsmith,  and  in  1692  was  mortgaged  by  Scott  to  Thomas 
Trowbridge;  and  in  1697,  the  mortgage  not  having  been  redeemed,  it  was  sold  by 
Trowbridge  to  Theophilus  Munson,  who  was  also  a  gunsmith,  with  the  house  and  a 
shop.  At  this  time  the  lot  had  a  front  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  on  the 
street. 

In  1699,  Theophilus  Munson  enlarged  this  lot  by  a  purchase  from  John  Hancock  of 
one-third  of  an  acre  from  the  easterly  side  of  the  adjoining  lot  on  the  west.  This 
third  of  an  acre  was  the  rear  or  easterly  part  of  the  original  allotment  on  the  corner 
of  Elm  and  York  streets,  at  first  allotted  to  John  Johnson,  and  which,  after  the  part 
purchased  by  Theophilus  Munson  had  been  separated,  in  1699,  contained  two-thirds  of 
an  acre,  and  about  1 708  was  plotted  and  sold  in  twelve  or  more  small  lots,  some 
fronting  on  the  street  and  some  located  in  the  rear,  the  lots  in  the  rear  having  annexed 
to  them  rights  of  passing  over  the  front  lots.  These  small  lots,  whether  originally  so 
designed  or  not,  were  soon  nearly  all  used  for  what  were  called  "  Sabbath-day 
houses,"  for  the  accommodation  of  those  who  lived  in  the  country  at  a  great  distance 
from  the  meeting-house  on  the  Green. 

A  portion  of  that  part  of  the  lot  which  Theophilus  Munson  had  purchased  of  John 
Hancock  was  sold  for  the  same  uses  as  late  as  1 749.  After  ecclesiastical  societies 
were  established  in  Woodbridge  and  Hamden,  these  small  lots  and  houses  were  occu- 
pied by  poor  families,  and  were  gradually  purchased  by  the  adjoining  owners  ;  but 
they  did  not  wholly  disappear  until  about  the  close  of  the  last  century. 

Theophilus  Munson,  after  his  purchase  from  Hancock,  built  on  his  lot  a  larger  and 
better  house,  which  received  the  name  of  the  mansion-house. 

In  1702,  Munson  sold  the  whole  lot,  having  an  area  of  one  and  one-eighth  acre,  with 
the  mansion-house,  to  John  Bishop,  the  father  of  James  Bishop  the  cooper.  By 
exchanges  and  conveyances  between  the  widow  and  children  of  John  Bishop,  James 
Bishop  became,  in  1738,  the  sole  owner,  and,  in  1742,  he  conveyed  it,  together  with 
the  Robert  Preston  lot,  which  he  had  purchased  of  Mehitabel  Mix,  to  William  Scott,  a 
barber. 


2o8  YALE  COLLEGE. 

William  Scott,  in  i  749,  sold  from  the  west  side  of  his  lot  a  small  lot  for  a  Sabbath- 
day  house,  and  in  the  same  year  sold  to  Samuel  Mix  a  larger  lot  from  the  east  side 
of  his  lot,  having  a  front  on  the  street  of  about  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  feet,  and 
extending  south  the  whole  depth  of  his  lot.  This  piece  was  a  part  of  the  large  tract 
which  was  sold  to  the  college,  in  1  796,  by  the  children  and  grandchildren  of  Samuel 
Mix,  as  has  been  mentioned. 

William  Scott  died  in  1752,  having  sold,  in  1749,  a  small  lot  from  the  west  side  of 
his  lot  for  a  Sabbath-day  house.  The  remainder  of  his  lot  was  sold  by  authority  of 
the  legislature  in  two  parcels;  a  part,  in  1752,  of  half  an  acre,  was  sold  to  Stephen 
Atwater,  and  soon  after  became  the  home-lot  of  John  Hotchkiss,  who,  in  1763,  bought 
the  remainder. 

In  1756,  John  Hotchkiss  enlarged  his  lot  in  the  rear  by  a  purchase  of  three-quarters 
of  an  acre  from  the  rear  of  the  lot  fronting  on  York  street,  then  owned  by  William 
Chatterton,  but  which  had  been  originally  allotted  to  John  Punderson,  and  was  next 
south  of  the  corner  lot  allotted  as  before  mentioned  to  John  Johnson. 

John  Hotchkiss  died  in  1780,  and  his  administrator,  in  1788,  sold  to  Christian  Han- 
son, from  the  west  side  of  his  home-lot,  a  lot  having  a  front  on  Elm  street  of  forty-two 
feet. 

In  1790,  High  street  was  opened  with  a  width  of  forty  feet,  part  of  which  was  taken 
from  the  lot  of  Christian  Hanson,  and  part  from  the  home-lot  of  John  Hotchkiss,  and 
the  remainder  of  this  home-lot  of  John  Hotchkiss,  together  with  the  house  and  shop, 
was  left  on  the  east  side  of  High  street,  and  became  the  property  of  his  widow, 
Susanna  Hotchkiss,  and  at  her  death,  in  1815,  was  divided  between  her  children. 

Her  daughter,  Sophia,  owned  and  lived  in  a  part  of  the  corner  lot,  on  which  was 
standing  the  old  mansion,  probably  the  same  built  by  Theophilus  Munson.  In  this 
house  she  kept  for  many  years  a  dame  school  for  little  children,  which  is  well  remem- 
bered by  many  now  living,  as  are  also  the  Lombardy  poplar  trees  on  High  street, 
which  furnished  the  long  rods  used  to  touch  the  heads  of  the  inattentive  or  mischiev- 
ous  little  ones  and  remind  them  that  the  mistress  and  their  duties  were  not  to  be 
forgotten.  She  died  in  1846,  and,  soon  after,  the  surviving  children  of  the  widow, 
Susanna  Hotchkiss,  sold  to  the  college  all  the  land  and  buildings  on  the  east  side 
of  High  street,  which  had  formerly  belonged  to  her  husband,  John  Hotchkiss.  Most 
of  the  conveyances  were  made  in  1846,  but  one  right  was  not  conveyed  until  1858. 

By  this  last  purchase  the  college  became  the  owner  of  the  whole  of  the  eastern  and 
larger  division  of  the  original  square,  one  hundred  and  forty  years  after  the  purchase 
of  the  lot  on  the  opposite  diagonal  corner  of  Chapel  and  College  streets. 

The  first  purchase  by  the  college  on  the  west  division  of  the  original  square,  made 
by  the  opening,  in  1790,  of  High  street,  was  in  1798,  when  they  purchased  of  Jeremiah 
Atwater,  then  steward  of  the  college,  a  lot  fronting  about  eighty-five  feet  on  High 
street  and  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  deep. 

After  the  opening  of  Atwater  street,  in  1842,  the  college  purchased  of  Mrs.  Ann 
Smith,  a  descendant  of  Steward  Jeremiah  Atwater,  the  lot  of  about  fifty-three  feet  in 
width  on  the  west  side  of  High  street,  which  lay  between  the  new  street  and  the  lot 


THE  COLLEGE  GREEN.  209 

purchased  in  1 798,  and  on  die  lot  thus  enlarged  the  college  has  placed  the  Gym- 
nasium. 

These  two  lots  were  a  part  of  the  rear  of  a  large  lot  fronting  on  York  street,  which 
was  originally  allotted  to  Thomas  Fugill,  and  after  his  departure,  in  1662,  was  con- 
veyed by  the  town  to  Samuel  Hotchkiss,  but  whether  to  the  older  or  the  younger  of 
that  name  is  uncertain. 

Joshua  Hotchkiss,  supposed  to  be  a  son  or  brother  of  this  Samuel,  became  the 
owner  of  this  and  of  the  adjoining  lot  on  the  north,  which  had  originally  been  allotted 
to  Thomas  Yale,  uncle  of  Elihu  Yale. 

Joshua  Hotchkiss  devised  this  double  home-lot,  in  quantity  about  three  acres,  to  his 
son  Jacob  Hotchkiss,  who,  in  1 73 1,  sold  it  to  Deacon  John  Punderson,  who  devised  it, 
in  1742,  to  his  son,  Captain  John  Punderson,  the  fourth  in  descent  from  John  Punder- 
son the  first  settler,  and  all  of  whom  bore  the  name  of  John  Punderson. 

At  his  death  it  fell  to  his  sister  Hannah,  the  wife  of  David  Austin,  and  at  her  death, 
in  1759,  to  her  two  sons,  Punderson  Austin  and  Jonathan  Austin,  of  whom  it  was  pur- 
chased by  Jeremiah  Atwater  of  Punderson  Austin  directly,  in  1 769,  and  of  Jonathan 
Austin  indirectly,  in  1796. 

The  remainder  of  the  land  now  owned  by  the  college  on  the  west  side  of  High 
street  has  been  purchased  within  the  last  ten  years,  and  forms  the  lot  on  which  the 
Peabody  Museum  now  stands. 

By  the  opening  of  High  street,  in  1790,  the  west  part  of  the  home-lot  which  John 
Hotchkiss  died  possessed  of,  in  1780,  together  with  a  part  of  the  lot  of  William  Scott 
which  John  Hotchkiss  had  not  acquired,  was  separated  from  the  east  part,  and  has 
passed  through  many  changes  of  owners  and  many  subdivisions  by  sales,  devises,  and 
distributions  of  estates,  and  was  found,  about  ten  years  since,  to  consist  of  seven  lots 
of  various  dimensions.  One  of  these  lots,  fronting  on  High  street,  and  the  smallest  of 
them,  was  purchased  by  the  college  in  1861  ;  the  corner  lot  on  Elm  street  and  the  lot 
next  west  of  the  corner  in  1866;  another  lot  on  High  street,  in  1868  ;' another,  ad- 
joining on  Elm  street,  in  1871  ;  another  lot  on  High  street,  in  1873  ;  and  the  last  lot, 
which  occupied  the  space  between  the  other  purchases  and  the  gymnasium  lot,  in  1874. 

Index  to  the  Map  of  the  College  Green  which  accompanies  this  Paper. — B.  C,  Battell  Chapel.  F.,  Farnam 
College.  D.,  Durfee  College.  N.,  North  College.  N.  M.,  North  Middle  College.  Lyc,  Lyceum.  S.  M.,  South  Middle  Col- 
lege. Ath.,  Athenreum.  S..  South  College.  Lab.,  Laboratory.  A.  H.,  Alumni  Hall.  L. ,  Library.  P.  M.,  Peabody 
Museum.     E.  D.  H.,  East  Divinity  Hall.     M.  C,  Marquand  Chapel.     W.  D.  H.,  West  Divinity  Hall.     Gym.,  Gymnasium. 

As  the  old  chapel,  which  was  vacated  A.D.  1876,  and  the  building  which  was  erected  for  the  College  Commons  and  the 
Mineralogical  Cabinet,  A.D.  1819,  will  probably  both  soon  receive  new  names,  they  are  not  designated  on  the  map  by  any  title. 


In  the  Plot  of  the  College  Square,  the  full  lines  represent  the  original  allotments  as  made  A.D.  1639.     The  broken 
lines  show  the  various  parcels  as  purchased  by  the  college.     The  names  of  the  original  owners  are  placed  as  near  the  center  of 
their  lots  as  possible,  and  the  dates  at  which  the  tide  of  each  lot  was  acquired  are  also  placed  near  the  center  of  the  purchase. 
VOL.   I. — 27 


BENJAMIN     SILLIMAN, 

PROFESSOR   OF    CHEMISTRY,   PHARMACY,   MINERALOGY,   AND   GEOLOGY. 
BY  PROFESSOR  ARTHUR   W.    WRIGHT. 


Birth  and  early  Education. — Entrance  to  Yale  College. — Graduation. — Legal  Studies. — Appoint- 
ment to  Tutorship. — Appointment  to  Professorship  of  Chemistry  and  Natural  History. — Residence  in 
Philadelphia. — First  Lecture. — Lecture-room  and  Laboratory. — Broken-necked  Retorts. — Appropri- 
ation of  Ten  Thousand  Dollars  for  Apparatus  and  Books. — Voyage  to  Europe. — Residence  and  Studies 
in  Edinburgh. — Journal  of  Travels. — Weston  Meteorite. — Beginning  of  Mineral  Collection. — Pur- 
chase of  the  Perkins  Cabinet. — Secures  deposit  of  the  Gibbs  Cabinet. — Organization  of  Medical 
Department. — Appointment  to  Professorship  of  Chemistry  and  Pharmacy  therein. — Accident. — Founds 
the  American   Journal  of  Science  and  Arts. — Tour  to  Canada,  and  published  Journal. — Experiments 

avith   the   deflagrator. purchase  of   the  glbbs  cabinet. proposes    plan  of  a  scientific   school. 

Establishment  of  the  Same. — Second  Journey  to  Europe,  and  published  Account. — Resignation  of 
Professorship. — Close  of  his  Life. — His  College  Work. — Popular  Scientific  Lectures. — Character 
as  a  Scientific  Man. — Personal  Characteristics. 

No  name  in  the  history  of  American  science  is  more  eminent  than  that  of  Professor 
Silliman,  and  in  the  history  of  Yale  College  it  occupies  a  position  of  especial  promi- 
nence. A  life  of  devoted  service  to  the  institution,  extending  over  a  period  of  more 
than  fifty  years,  and  this,  too,  a  period  during  which  great  advances  were  made  by  the 
college  in  increasing  its  material  resources  and  in  widening  and  improving  its  methods 
of  instruction ;  when  the  study  of  the  physical  sciences,  hitherto  almost  unrecognized, 
was  introduced  and  developed  to  such  an  extent  as  to  require  the  services  of  a  large 
corps  of  instructors  and  the  establishment  of  new  departments ;  when  the  institution 
passed  from  the  condition  of  a  mere  collegiate  school  to  the  position  of  a  university ; 
— the  life  of  one  whose  experience  extended  through  these  eventful  years,  on  whom  in 
a  large  degree  rested  the  responsibility  for  the  great  interests  of  science,  and  to  whose 
wisdom  and  energy  the  grand  development  of  scientific  studies  in  the  institution  is  so 
largely  due,  may  well  be  deemed  to  be  of  more  than  ordinary  interest. 

Benjamin  Silliman,  the  son  of  Gold  Selleck  Silliman  and  Mary  (Fish)  Silliman,  was 

210 


-c^^t^y 


BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN.  211 

born  on  the  8th  of  August,  1779.  His  ancestors  had  for  several  generations  been  resi- 
dents of  the  town  of  Fairfield,  where  also  was  the  home  of  his  father.  At  the  time  of 
his  birth,  his  father  was  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  British,  and  during  the  hostile 
visit  of  the  British  fleet  to  Fairfield,  on  the  8th  of  July,  1779,  his  mother  found  a  refuge 
in  the  neighboring  town  of  North  Stratford,  now  called  Trumbull,  where  he  first  saw 
the  light  on  the  date  mentioned  above.  His  boyhood  was  passed  in  Fairfield,  and 
during  the  latter  part  of  it  he  received  instruction  from  his  pastor,  Rev.  Andrew  Eliot, 
by  whom  he  was  prepared  for  college.  In  1792,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  he 
entered  Yale  College,  then,  and  for  three  years  still  to  be,  under  the  presidency  of  Dr. 
Stiles.  His  last  year  at  college  was  under  the  rule  of  Dr.  Dwight,  and  he  gradu- 
ated in  due  course  in  1796.  The  following  year  was  spent  at  his  home  in  Fairfield. 
During  the  next  year  he  was  in  charge  of  a  select  school  in  Wethersfield,  but  the  close 
of  it  finds  him  again  in  New  Haven,  a  student  of  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Simeon 
Baldwin.  His  legal  studies  were  completed  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Charles  Chauncey, 
and  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1802.  In  September,  1799,  he  was  appointed  tutor 
in  Yale  College,  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  in  October  of  that  year,  and 
he  continued  to  discharge  them  until  1802.  Already,  in  1798,  President  Dwight,  in 
the  fulness  of  his  learning  and  the  wide  reach  of  his  intelligence,  had  perceived  the 
importance  of  the  science  of  chemistry,  and  through  his  influence  a  vote  of  the  corpora- 
tion was  passed,  to  the  effect,  "  that  a  Professorship  of  Chemistry  and  Natural  History 
be  instituted  in  this  college  as  soon  as  the  funds  shall  be  sufficiently  productive  to  sup- 
port it;"  and  in  1802,  it  having  appeared  that  the  funds  were  adequate,  it  was  voted, 
September  7,  "that  a  Professorship  of  Chemistry  be  and  it  is  hereby  established  in  this 
college ; "  and,  in  accordance  with  this  vote,  Mr.  Silliman  was  elected  professor  in  this 
department.  Some  idea  of  the  scientific  resources  of  the  college  may  be  gained  from 
the  following  extract  from  the  manuscript  notes  of  Professor  Silliman,  with  reference  to 
the  departments  of  physics  and  chemistry :  "  A  single  room  was  appropriated  to  this 
department.  It  was  in  the  old  college,  second  loft,  north-east  corner,  back  side,  now 
No.  56.  It  was  papered  on  the  walls,  the  floor  was  sanded,  and  the  window  shutters 
were  always  kept  closed  except  when  visitors  or  students  were  introduced.  There 
was  an  air  of  mystery  about  the  room,  and  we  entered  it  with  awe,  increasing  to  admi- 
ration after  we  had  seen  something  of  the  apparatus  and  the  experiments.  There  was 
an  air-pump,  an  electrical  machine  of  the  cylinder  form,  a  whirling  table,  a  telescope 
of  medium  size  and  some  of  smaller  dimensions,  a  quadrant,  a  set  of  models  for  illus- 
trating the  mechanical  powers,  a  condensing  fountain  with  jets  d'eau,  a  theodolite,  and 
a  magic  lantern,  the  wonder  of  Freshmen.  *  *  *  Professor  Josiah  Meigs — 179410 
1 80 1 — delivered  lectures  on  natural  philosophy  from  the  pulpit  of  the  college  chapel. 
He  was  a  gentleman  of  great  intelligence,  and  had  read  Chaptal,  Lavoisier,  and  other 
chemical  writers  of  the  French  school.  From  these,  and  perhaps  other  sources,  he 
occasionally  introduced  chemical  facts  and  principles  in  connection  with  those  of 
natural  philosophy." 

In  order  that  he  might  have  time  and  opportunity  for  further  study,  Mr.  Silliman 
was  granted  leave  of  absence  during  the  winters  of  1801-2  and  1802-3,  which  intervals 


2T2  YALE  COLLEGE. 

he  spent  in  Philadelphia  ;  the  remainder  of  the  year  he  continued  his  tutorial  duties, 
and  performed  some  experiments  before  his  pupils.  During  his  stay  in  Philadelphia, 
he  became  intimate  with  Robert  Hare,  at  that  time  residing  in  the  same  house  with 
himself,  and  the  friendship  thus  begun  was  continued  through  life.  Hare,  who  for  the 
times  was  an  expert  chemist,  had  already  made  his  great  discovery  of  the  method  of 
burning  oxygen  and  hydrogen  together  to  produce  an  intense  heat,  and  was  experi- 
menting to  improve  the  apparatus  employed  by  him,  which  he  called  the  hydrostatic 
blow-pipe.  He  found  in  his  new  friend  an  enthusiastic  coadjutor,  and  the  two  spent 
many  hours  together  in  experimenting  upon  the  brilliant  effects  produced  by  the  use 
of  the  new  invention.  In  Hare's  apparatus  the  two  gases,  which  were  under  hydro- 
static pressure,  were  separated  from  each  other  merely  by  a  wooden  partition,  and 
there  was  a  possibility  of  their  becoming  commingled  by  leakage  or  other  chance, 
thus  leading  to  dangerous  accidents.  Such  a  result  did  indeed  follow  in  the  case 
of  Hare  himself,  though  with  no  very  serious  results,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  in  the  use 
of  this  form  of  the  invention.  Professor  Silliman,  on  his  return  to  New  Haven, 
remedied  this  defect  by  a  special  contrivance,  and  eventually  stored  the  oxygen  and 
hydrogen  in  separate  gasometers,  bringing  them  together  only  at  the  tip  of  the 
burner,  an  arrangement  which  made  an  accident  impossible.  He  applied  the  name 
"compound  blow-pipe,"  by  which  the  apparatus  is  still  designated,  and  made  many 
experiments  with  it  upon  the  fusion  of  refractory  substances,  confirming  and  greatly 
enlarging  the  results  obtained  by  Hare. 

While  in  Philadelphia,  he  attended  the  lectures  of  Dr.  James  Woodhouse  on  chem- 
istry. He  also  attended  the  courses  of  Dr.  Rush,  of  Dr.  Barton  on  materia  medica 
and  botany,  and  of  Dr.  Wistar  on  anatomy  and  surgery.  He  was  fortunate  at  this 
time  in  enjoying  at  his  boarding-house  the  society  of  a  remarkable  company  of  men, 
among  whom  may  be  mentioned  Horace  Binney,  Charles  Chauncey,  Elihu  Chauncey, 
Robert  Hare,  John  Sargent,  John  Wallace  and  his  brother,  all  of  whom  subsequently 
attained  to  more  or  less  eminent  positions.  At  Dr.  Wistar's,  he  met  the  famous 
chemist  and  philosopher  Dr.  Priestley,  who  had  established  his  residence  in  this 
country  a  few  years  before.  At  about  this  time,  he  made  several  visits  to  Dr.  John 
McLean,  Professor  of  Chemistry  in  Princeton  College.  He  received  much  aid  from 
him  in  the  way  of  advice  and  suggestion,  though  he  did  not  attend  any  of  his  lectures. 
He  says  of  him :  "  Dr.  McLean  was  a  man  of  brilliant  mind,  with  all  the  acumen  of 
his  native  Scotland,  and  a  sprinkling  of  wit  gave  variety  to  his  conversation.  I  regard 
him  as  my  earliest  master  in  chemistry."  During  the  second  winter  of  his  residence 
in  Philadelphia,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Philosophical  Society,  founded  by 
Franklin. 

In  March,  1804,  Professor  Silliman  returned  to  New  Haven  and  resumed  his  aca- 
demic labors.  His  first  lecture  was  delivered  on  the  fourth  of  April,  1804,  in  a  public 
room,  hired  by  the  college,  in  Tuttle's  building,  on  Chapel  street,  nearly  opposite 
South  College.  It  was  introductory,  and  treated  of  the  history  and  progress,  and  the 
nature  and  objects  of  chemistry.  From  this  time  he  labored  in  this  department  of 
college  work  for  more  than   fifty  years  continuously.      He  gave   instruction  both  by 


BENJAMIN  SILL/MAN.  213 

recitations  and  lectures,  chiefly  the  latter,  the  number  of  lectures  amounting  to  about 
one  hundred  in  each  year. 

In  1802,  the  building  known  as  the  Lyceum  was  erected.  The  principal  object  of 
the  structure  was  to  furnish  accommodation  for  the  library  of  the  college,  and  for  addi- 
tional recitation-rooms  which  were  then  much  needed.  In  providing  for  the  foundations, 
a  deep  excavation  was  made  at  the  west  end,  which  it  was  understood  was  to  furnish 
a  place  for  the  laboratory.  Mr.  Silliman's  appointment  not  yet  having  been  made 
public,  nothing  could  be  said  in  regard  to  the  place,  and  he  was  not  even  consulted  in 
regard  to  it.  He  watched  the  deepening  chasm  with  some  anxiety,  wondering  how  it 
was  to  be  made  available  for  scientific  purposes.  The  final  result  was  remarkable. 
A  room  almost  underground  was  finished  above  with  groined  arches,  and  with  so 
limited  window-space  as  to  admit  a  mere  glimmer  of  light,  sufficient  to  make  the  dark- 
ness painfully  visible.  The  depth  was  so  great  that  when  the  lecturer  stood  upon  the 
floor  his  head  was  six  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  !  As  in  its  present  con- 
dition the  room  was  unsuitable  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  intended,  Mr.  Silli- 
man  urged  some  alterations  to  obviate  the  worst  inconveniences.  The  arches  were  at 
once  removed,  and  other  changes  made  which  permitted  freer  access  of  light  and  air. 
A  rising  sweep  of  seats  for  the  auditors  occupied  the  rear,  the  place  being  at  once 
lecture-room  and  laboratory.  In  this  place,  so  greatly  exposed  to  dampness  that  all 
iron  articles  rapidly  rusted,  and  chemical  preparations  capable  of  absorbing  moisture 
deliquesced  with  discouraging  facility,  the  chemical  instruction  was  given  for  fifteen 
years. 

The  supply  of  apparatus  was  very  limited,  and  it  was  necessary  to  provide  the 
requisite  means  for  carrying  on  the  experimental  work.  At  that  time  very  little,  if  any, 
chemical  glass-ware  was  manufactured  in  the  country,  and  it  was  difficult  to  obtain  it 
at  all.  An  amusing  incident  occurred  in  the  attempt  to  supply  the  desired  articles, 
the  following  account  of  which  is  extracted  from  Mr.  Silliman's  notes.  "  I  had  picked 
up  a  few  glass  retorts  in  Philadelphia,  and  I  made  application  to  Mr.  Mather,  a  manu- 
facturer of  glass  in  East  Hartford,  a  few  years  later,  to  make  some  for  me.  On  stating 
my  wish,  he  said  he  had  never  seen  a  retort,  but  if  I  would  send  him  one  as  a  pattern, 
he  did  not  doubt  he  could  make  them.  I  had  a  retort  whose  neck  or  tube  was  broken 
off  near  the  ball,  but  as  no  portion  was  missing,  and  the  two  parts  exactly  fitted 
each  other,  I  sent  this  retort  and  its  neck  in  a  box,  never  dreaming  that  there  could 
be  any  blunder.  In  due  time,  however,  my  dozen  of  green  glass  retorts  of  East  Hart- 
ford manufacture  arrived,  carefully  boxed  and  all  sound,  except  that  they  were  all 
cracked  off  in  the  neck  exactly  where  the  pattern  was  fractured,  and  broken  neck  and 
ball  lay  in  state  like  decapitated  kings  in  their  coffins." 

In  1804  the  corporation  voted  to  expend  ten  thousand  dollars  in  Europe  during  the 
following  year  in  the  purchase  of  books  for  the  library,  and  in  procuring  chemical  and 
physical  apparatus.  Mr.  Silliman  was  granted  leave  of  absence  for  a  year,  to  travel 
and  study  in  Europe,  and  to  attend  to  the  purchases  for  his  department.  In  the 
spring  of  the  following  year  he  sailed  from  New  York,  and  shortly  after  landed  in  Liv- 
erpool, whence,  visiting  other  towns  by  the  way,  he  proceeded  to  London.     A  visit  to 


214 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


Holland  followed,  but  he  was  prevented  from  entering  France,  and  compelled  to  relin- 
quish his  plan  of  visiting  Paris,  on  account  of  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  country. 
The  following  winter  was  spent  in  Edinburgh.  Here  he  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  the 
society  of  many  men  of  distinction,  as  well  as  the  instruction  of  some  of  the  foremost 
scientific  men  of  the  day.  He  attended  the  lectures  of  Dr.  Thomas  Hope,  on  chemistry; 
those  of  Dr.  Gregory,  on  therapeutics  ;  of  Dr.  Murray,  on  chemistry  ;  and  of  Hope  and 
Murray,  on  geology ;  of  Dr.  John  Barclay,  on  anatomy,  etc.  In  London  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Frederick  Accum,  an  eminent  practical  chemist,  who  gave  him  valu- 
able instruction  in  chemical  manipulation  and  the  preparation  of  chemical  compounds, 
by  actual  practice  in  the  laboratory.  Mr.  Accum  was  also  of  great  service  to  him  by 
his  aid  in  the  selection  and  purchase  of  apparatus.  During  his  stay  in  England  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  most  of  the  eminent  men  of  science  of  that  country — men 
like  Davy,  Wollaston,  Sir  David  Brewster,  Leslie,  and  others — laying,  in  the  case  of 
many  of  them,  the  foundations  of  life-long  friendship.  He  was  successful  also  in  the 
main  object  of  his  mission,  the  purchase  of  books  and  apparatus  for  the  college,  all  of 
which  were  safely  transported  to  America,  and  constituted  a  great  addition  to  the 
material  resources  of  the  institution.  The  interest  awakened  in  his  mind  by  his  geo- 
logical studies  abroad  led  him  to  undertake  a  survey  of  the  environs  of  New  Haven 
immediately  after  his  return  in  1806,  and  in  September  of  that  year  he  read  before 
the  Connecticut  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  a  report  upon  the  geological  structure 
of  this  hitherto  almost  unexplored  region,  which  was  printed  in  the  first  volume  of  the 
Memoirs.  From  this  time  geology  formed  a  portion  of  his  annual  courses  of  lectures 
to  the  students. 

After  his  return  from  Europe  Mr.  Silliman  had  elaborated  the  memoranda  of  his 
experiences  abroad,  and  the  manuscript  journal,  which  had  been  confided  to  the  perusal 
of  his  intimate  friends,  excited  so  much  interest  among  them  that  he  was  induced,  by 
their  cordial  encouragement,  to  give  it  a  wider  publicity.  It  was  issued  from  the  press 
in  the  year  18 10,  with  the  title,  "A  Journal  of  Travels  in  England,  Holland,  and  Scot- 
land, and  of  two  passages  over  the  Atlantic,  in  the  years  1805  and  1806,"  and  passed 
through  three  editions.  It  had  an  unprecedented  popularity,  being  received  with 
marked  favor  everywhere,  and  gaining  for  its  author  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  writer 
and  observer  long  before  he  had  won  his  way  to  distinction  in  his  own  profession.  As 
an  incidental  result  it  led  to  correspondence  with  many  persons  of  eminence,  and  was 
the  occasion  of  acquaintanceships,  some  of  which  developed  into  life-long  friendships. 

Not  long  after  Mr.  Silliman's  return  to  New  Haven  occurred  the  fall  of  the  famous 
meteorite  of  December  14,  1807,  in  Weston,  Connecticut.  While  in  Europe  he  had 
seen  several  specimens  of  similar  bodies,  and  had  become  familiar  with  the  phenomena 
which  ordinarily  attended  their  appearance.  He  was  therefore  able  not  only  to  share 
the  popular  interest  which  was  aroused  by  the  event,  but  to  appreciate  its  great  scien- 
tific importance.  As  soon  as  the  news  of  the  occurrence  reached  New  Haven,  Mr. 
Silliman  left  his  work,  and,  in  company  with  his  colleague,  Professor  J.  L.  Kingsley,  set 
out  for  Weston,  where  they  visited  all  the  points  at  which  the  stones  were  said  to  have 
fallen,  examined  most  of  the  persons  who  had  witnessed  their  descent,  and  obtained  a 


BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN.  215 

considerable  number  of  specimens,  which  they  brought  away  with  them.  On  their 
return  they  published  an  account  of  the  facts  gathered  in  the  Connecticut  Herald,  which 
was  widely  copied  into  other  newspapers.  Professor  Silliman  subsequently  made  a 
chemical  examination  of  the  masses  of  the  meteorite,  and  communicated  an  account  to 
the  Philosophical  Society  of  Philadelphia,  which  was  published  in  their  Transactions, 
and  was  afterwards  republished  in  the  memoirs  of  the  Connecticut  Academy  of  Arts 
and  Sciences.  Still  later  it  was  reprinted  in  the  American  Journal  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  This  account  excited  the  attention  of  scientific  men  both  in  this  country  and 
abroad,  and  the  case  was  deemed  to  be  of  such  interest  and  importance  that  his 
memoir  was  read  aloud  in  the  Philosophical  Society  of  London,  and  also  in  the  French 
Academy. 

In  the  year  1807,  the  beginning  of  a  collection  of  minerals  was  made  by  the  pur- 
chase of  the  cabinet  then  belonging  to  Mr.  Benjamin  D.  Perkins,  a  graduate  of  the 
college,  of  the  class  of  1 794.  Though  not  a  large  collection,  its  arrival  was  an  event 
at  the  college,  and  it  not  only  awakened  a  lively  interest  but  attracted  many  visitors. 
Through  Professor  Silliman's  agency,  also,  some  four  years  later,  the  cabinet  of 
Colonel  George  Gibbs,  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island — for  that  day  a  splendid  collec- 
tion— was  deposited  for  exhibition  and  safe  keeping  in  the  college  buildings.  Two 
rooms  on  the  second  floor  of  South  Middle  College,  at  the  north  end,  were  formed  into 
one  by  removal  of  the  partitions,  and  fitted  with  proper  cases  for  reception  of  the  speci- 
mens. The  two  middle  rooms  on  the  same  floor  and  same  entry  were  subsequently 
added,  and  connected  by  means  of  the  small  room-  at  the  head  of  the  first  flight  of 
stairs.  This  collection  was  very  extensive,  and  contained  many  magnificent  specimens. 
Its  arrival  made  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  science  in  Yale  College,  and  the  fame  of  it 
drew  many  visitors  not  only  from  the  city,  but  even  from  distant  parts  of  the  country. 
In  these  rooms  the  cabinet  remained  for  several  years.  It  was  afterwards  purchased 
and  came  into  the  permanent  possession  of  the  college,  as  mentioned  farther  on. 

In  the  year  1806,  a  resolution  was  passed  by  the  corporation,  on  the  motion  of  Dr. 
Nathan  Strong,  for  the  establishment  of  a  medical  professor  in  the  college,  and  he  and 
Mr.  Silliman  were  appointed  a  committee  to  examine  and  report,  and  to  devise  means 
for  effecting  the  object.  A  medical  society  already  existed  in  the  State,  and  it  was 
desired  to  secure  the  harmonious  co-operation  of  this  body  with  the  college.  To  this 
end  committees  of  conference  were  appointed,  and  after  full  consideration  of  the  inter- 
ests of  both  sides  measures  were  taken  which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the 
Medical  School  in  Yale  College.  A  stone  building,  which  had  been  recently  erected 
by  Hon.  James  Hillhouse,  was  rented  in  order  to  furnish  accommodation  for  the  new 
school,  and  was  ultimately  purchased.  A  Faculty  was  appointed,  consisting,  at  first, 
of  Dr.  yEneas  Munson,  as  Professor  Emeritus  and  Honorary  ;  Dr.  Nathan  Smith,  of 
Surgery  ;  Dr.  Eli  Ives,  Materia  Medica  and  Botany  ;  Dr.  Jonathan  Knight,  Anatomy ; 
and  Professor  Silliman,  Chemistry  and  Pharmacy.  Of  these  Professor  Silliman  was  the 
first  in  point  of  time.  Lectures  were  begun  in  October,  18 13,  and  Professor  Silliman 
continued  to  give  instruction  to  the  students  of  the  institution  as  long  as  he  was 
actively  connected  with  the  college.      In  part  this  object  was  attained  by  the  attend- 


2i6  VALE  COLLEGE. 

ance  of  the  medical  students  at  his  lectures  in  the  laboratory,  which  was  enlarged  to 
furnish  room  for  them,  but  he  also  gave  them  separate  instruction  appropriate  to  the 
objects  of  their  profession  both  by  lectures  and  recitations. 

With  all  the  experience  gained  by  several  years  of  active  professional  work,  and 
the  manipulative  skill  cultivated  by  long  practice,  Professor  Silliman  was  now  in  the 
full  tide  of  a  successful  career.  But  the  most  cautious  experimenter  with  the  subtle 
forces  developed  in  chemical  actions  is  exposed  to  danger  from  the  operation  of  unfore- 
seen elements,  and  he  was  no  exception  to  the  general  average  of  mankind.  A  dis- 
tressing accident,  which  happened  in  July,  1811,  interrupted  his  agreeable  labors  and 
kept  him  a  prisoner  for  weeks.  While  engaged  in  preparing  a  considerable  quantity 
of  fulminating  silver,  an  operation  which  he  had  always  performed  with  great  caution, 
and  hitherto  without  accident,  a  terrific  explosion  occurred  as  he  was  bending  over  the 
dish,  throwing  the  caustic  mixture,  alcohol,  nitric  acid,  and  nitrate  of  silver,  full  in  his 
face  and  eyes,  and  hurling  him  violently  against  the  wall.  Stunned  by  the  shock,  but 
not  deprived  of  consciousness,  he  groped  his  way  with  difficulty  to  the  pneumatic  tank 
and  bathed  the  wounded  parts  abundantly  with  the  water.  Dismal  apprehensions  of 
the  loss  of  sight  filled  his  mind,  which  were  partially  allayed  when  a  hasty  examina- 
tion showed  that  the  eyes  were  not  lacerated  by  the  explosion ;  but  the  corrosive 
effects  of  the  acid  liquid  were  such  that  objects  in  the  room  could  only  be  dimly  dis- 
cerned as  through  a  thick  yellow  haze,  giving  cause  for  the  greatest  anxiety  lest  a 
dangerous  inflammation  should  ensue.  He  was  at  the  time  alone  in  the  laboratory, 
but  his  assistant  fortunately  arrived  almost  immediately  after  the  occurrence  and  ren- 
dered the  needed  aid.  A  carriage  was  procured  and  the  sufferer  taken  to  his  home, 
where,  under  the  skillful  attention  of  Dr.  Eli  Ives,  a  complete  recovery  followed,  but 
not  until  he  had  experienced  many  days  and  nights  of  intense  pain.  For  a  month  he 
was  confined  to  a  darkened  room,  and  it  was  many  weeks  before  he  was  entirely 
restored  and  able  to  resume  his  scientific  occupations. 

In  July,  18 18,  Professor  Silliman  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Americ<ni  Joiimal  of 
Science  and  Arts,  a  scientific  journal,  which,  begun  under  difficulties  and  carried  on  for 
a  time  under  most  discouraging  circumstances,  at  length  obtained  a  firm  position,  and 
is  continued  at  the  present  day,  the  most  important  American  scientific  serial  publica- 
tion. A  journal  called  the  American  Journal  of  Mineralogy  had  been  instituted  by 
Dr.  Archibald  Bruce,  of  New  York,  about  the  year  18 10.  Only  four  numbers  were 
ever  published,  and  these  at  long  intervals.  As  Dr.  Bruce's  declining  health  rendered 
it  improbable  that  he  would  be  able  to  revive  the  extinct  magazine,  Mr.  Silliman  was 
strongly  urged  by  Colonel  Gibbs  to  undertake  the  establishment  of  a  new  scientific 
journal.  In  the  autumn  of  181 7,  desiring  to  show  a  proper  deference  to  Dr.  Bruce, 
Professor  Silliman  consulted  him  in  reference  to  the  project,  and  was  not  only  warmly 
seconded  in  his  proposal,  but  advised  to  give  it  a  wider  scope  than  the  older  journal 
had,  so  as  to  make  it  include  the  whole  circle  of  the  physical  sciences,  and  the  journal 
was  established  the  following  year  as  already  mentioned.  A  large  number  of  the  most 
valuable  contributions  by  American  men  of  science  has  appeared  in  its  pages,  and  it 
fairly  takes  rank  with  the  leading  scientific  journals  of  the  world.     Mr.  Silliman's  con- 


BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN.  2  I  7 

nection  with  it  brought  him  into  prominence  in  other  countries,  and  it  is  still  almost 
universally  quoted  in  European  magazines  as  "Silliman's  American  Journal."  In  1838, 
Professor  B.  Silliman,  junior,  became  co-editor  with  his  father,  and  still  later,  in  1846, 
Professor  J.  D.  Dana  was  added  to  the  editorial  staff.  Other  names  now  appear 
upon  the  cover,  and  the  whole  editorial  corps  at  present  consists  of  ten  persons. 

In  May,  18 19,  Professor  Silliman  obtained  from  the  legislature  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut  a  charter  for  the  American  Geological  Society,  the  purpose  of  which  is 
sufficiently  indicated  by  the  title.  Although  the  society  began  with  some  show  of 
activity  and  a  considerable  membership,  it  soon  languished,  and,  after  a  few  years, 
meetings  ceased  to  be  held.  Another  society,  with  the  same  name,  was  subsequently 
organized  in  Philadelphia,  but  this  also  had  a  brief  existence,  having  expired  after  pub- 
lishing one  volume  of  contributions. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  in  company  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Daniel 
Wadsworth,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  Mr.  Silliman  made  a  journey  to  Canada,  which 
occupied  a  little  more  than  one  month.  A  book  of  notes  and  memoranda,  which  he  had 
begun,  with  the  purpose  of  preserving  for  publication  in  the  Journal  of  Science  such 
matters  of  scientific  import  as  should  be  of  sufficient  interest,  expanded  during  the 
journey  to  such  a  degree  that,  on  his  return,  he  decided  to  publish  it  as  a  separate 
volume.  It  bore  the  title,  "  Remarks  made  on  a  Short  Tour  between  Hartford  and 
Quebec  in  the  Autumn  of  18 19,  by  the  author  of  a  Journal  of  Travels  in  England, 
Holland,  and  Scotland."  It  made  a  volume  of  443  pages  i2mo,  and  passed  through 
two  editions.  The  little  work  met  with  great  favor,  and  served  for  a  guide  to  travelers 
for  many  years.  It  was  not  a  mere  itinerary,  but  contained  a  succinct  account  of  the 
geological  structure  and  topographical  features  of  the  region  traversed,  with  historical 
notices  of  the  more  interesting  points,  and  also  illustrations  by  Mr.  Wadsworth. 

In  the  year  1822,  Mr.  Silliman,  while  experimenting  upon  the  effects  produced  by 
the  voltaic  current  from  a  powerful  deflagrator  which  he  had  had  constructed,  observed 
the  remarkable  fact  that  the  material  of  the  charcoal  points  between  which  the  dis- 
charge took  place  was  fused,  volatilized,  and  transferred  from  the  positive  pole,  where 
it  left  a  cup-shaped  cavity,  to  the  negative,  where  it  built  up  a  sort  of  stalagmitic 
accretion,  considerably  extending  the  length  of  the  pole.  The  reality  of  this  result 
was  questioned  by  other  observers  ;  but  Mr.  Silliman's  experiments  left  no  room  for 
doubt,  and  his  conclusions  from  them  were  subsequently  entirely  confirmed  by  Despretz 
and  others,  by  whom  they  had  been  repeated.  He  published  in  the  Journal  of  Science 
a  number  of  communications  describing  these  experiments,  which  attracted  much  atten- 
tion abroad. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  Gibbs  cabinet,  which,  by  Professor  Silliman's 
influence,  had  been  deposited  in  the  college  buildings.  It  had  been  stored,  hitherto,  in 
the  two  rooms  fitted  up  for  its  reception  in  South  Middle  College.  As  in  18 19  and 
1820  a  new  building  was  in  process  of  construction  for  the  college  commons*  and  the 
plan  contemplated  an  edifice  of  one  story  only,  it  was  suggested  by  Mr.  Silliman  that 
an  additional  story  would  not  only  be  an  improvement  to  its  appearance,  but  would 
afford  a  fine  room  for  this  collection.  He  had  also  himself  made  many  additions  to 
vol.  1. — 28 


218  YALE  COLLEGE. 

the  college  collection,  especially  of  specimens  of  American  minerals  and  rocks,  and  the 
contracted  space  was  beginning  to  be  found  inadequate  to  the  proper  display  of  the 
whole  array.  The  plan  was  adopted,  and  the  collections  transferred  to  the  building 
immediately  upon  its  completion.  In  1825,  Colonel  Gibbs  made  known  his  desire  to 
dispose  of  the  collection,  and  to  the  college  was  given  the  first  option  of  purchase. 
The  price  demanded  for  it  was  $20,000.  This  was  a  large  sum  for  that  day,  and 
especially  for  a  college  treasury  in  a  condition  of  chronic  depletion.  But  the  oppor- 
tunity was  not  to  be  lost.  Professor  Silliman,  with  the  hearty  approval  of  the 
corporation  and  the  cordial  co-operation  of  his  colleagues,  undertook  to  raise  the 
sum,  and  active  operations  were  at  once  begun.  The  friends  of  the  college  were 
appealed  to,  and  not  in  vain.  Public  meetings  were  called  in  New  Haven  and  in 
New  York,  and  the  objects  desired  were  stated  by  Professor  Silliman  and  Professor  C. 
A.  Goodrich.  Subscriptions  flowed  in  rapidly,  the  permanent  officers  of  the  college 
also  contributing  liberally.  The  money  was  soon  raised,  and  the  precious  treasure 
secured  to  the  college.  Many  additions  had  been  made  by  Mr.  Silliman  from  time  to 
time,  both  by  purchase  and  by  gifts  which  he  had  received  from  personal  friends  and 
from  those  whom  he  had  interested  in  science.  It  is  related  of  Linnaeus  that  while 
professor  at  Upsala,  whence  his  fame  had  spread  through  distant  lands,  that  products 
of  nature  from  all  parts  of  the  world  were  sent  to  him  to  receive  names  and  a  place  in 
his  system.  In  a  similar  way  the  materials  gathered  by  Professor  Silliman's  activity 
and  enthusiasm  made  the  Yale  cabinet  of  minerals  for  many  years  the  most  valuable 
and  important  collection  in  the  country.  The  value  of  his  services  in  this  respect  may 
well  be  told  in  the  words  of  another.  In  the  exordium  to  his  introductory  lecture  on 
geology,  Professor  J.  D.  Dana,  after  speaking  of  Mr.  Silliman's  services  to  science, 
added  the  following  words:  "  Instead  of  that  half-bushel  of  stones,  which  once  went  to 
Philadelphia  for  names,  in  a  candle-box,  you  see,  above,  the  largest  mineral  cabinet  in 
the  country,  which,  but  for  Professor  Silliman,  his  attractions,  and  his  personal  exertions 
together,  would  never  have  been  one  of  the  glories  of  old  Yale.  And  there  are,  also, 
in  the  same  hall,  large  collections  of  fossils  of  the  chalk,  wealden,  and  tertiary  of 
England,  which,  following  the  course  of  affection  and  admiration,  came  from  Dr. 
Mantell  to  Professor  Silliman,  and  now  have  their  place  with  the  other  '  medals  of 
creation '  there  treasured,  along  with  similar  collections  from  M.  Alexander  Brong- 
niart,  of  Paris.  Thus  the  stream  has  been  ever  flowing,  and  this  institution  has  had 
the  benefit — a  stream  not  solely  of  minerals  and  fossils,  but  also  of  pupils  and 
friends." 

During  the  greater  part  of  his  connection  with  the  college  as  professor,  Mr.  Silliman 
had  the  services  of  assistants  who  were  also  his  private  students,  but  there  were  no 
facilities  for  general  instruction  in  analytical  chemistry,  with  laboratory  practice.  Only 
two  or  three  persons  at  a  time  could  receive  instruction  in  this  way,  and  eventually  the 
need  of  more  extended  accommodations  began  to  be  felt.  In  the  year  1842,  Mr.  B. 
Silliman,  jr.,  who  was  then  the  professional  assistant  of  his  father,  made  arrangements 
for  giving  regular  instruction  in  mineralogy  and  practical  chemistry.  A  room  was 
fitted  up  for  analytical  work  in  the  old  laboratory,  and  a  few  students  received,  one  of 


BEXJAMIN  SILLIMAN.  219 

whom  was  John  P.  Norton,  afterwards  professor.  As  their  studies  were  optional  they 
were  not  considered  members  of  the  college,  and  their  names  do  not  appear  in  the 
catalogues  of  that  time.  Mr.  Silliman,  recognizing  the  desirability  of  meeting  in  a  sys- 
tematic and  more  adequate  way  the  growing  demand  for  instruction  in  chemistry,  and 
giving  it  a  definite  place  in  the  college  course,  prepared,  in  conjunction  with  his  son,  a 
plan  of  a  Scientific  Department,  and  presented  a  memorial  upon  the  subject,  chiefly 
drawn  up  by  the  latter,  to  the  corporation,  in  1846,  appearing  personally  before  them 
to  urge  the  institution  of  such  a  school.  The  scheme  was  approved  and  adopted  the 
same  year,  Professor  John  P.  Norton  being  appointed  to  the  chair  of  agricultural,  and 
Professor  B.  Silliman,  jr.,  to  that  of  technical,  chemistry.  At  the  suggestion  of  Presi- 
dent Woolsey  the  original  scheme  was  extended  so  as  to  embrace  studies  in  other 
departments  of  learning;  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  corporation,  in  1847,  a  committee 
reported  favorably  upon  the  establishment  of  the  Department  of  Philosophy  and  the 
Arts.  The  title  appears  for  the  first  time  in  the  college  catalogue  for  1847-8,  and  the 
names  of  eleven  students  are  given  as  members  of  the  new  school.  The  corporation 
allowed  the  use  of  an  old  house  standing  upon  the  college  square,  on  ground  now 
occupied  by  the  south  end  of  Farnam  College,  and  which  had  formerly  been  the  resi- 
dence of  the  presidents  of  the  institution,  for  a  laboratory.  Although  the  building  had 
hitherto  been  vacant  and  unused,  the  corporation  received  a  rental  for  its  occupation, 
and  the  laboratory  appointments  were  fitted  up  entirely  at  the  private  expense  of  the 
two  professors.  A  friend  of  the  college  had  promised  the  income  from  a  fund  of  five 
thousand  dollars  for  the  new  school ;  but  beyond  this  there  were  no  resources  to  be 
depended  upon.  The  number  of  students  steadily  increased  from  year  to  year,  and 
Mr.  Silliman  lived  to  see  the  new  department,  in  the  foundation  of  which  he  had  so 
important  a  share,  magnificently  endowed  by  the  liberality  of  Mr.  Joseph  E.  Sheffield, 
from  whom  it  derives  its  present  name,  established  on  a  firm  basis,  transferred  to  a 
more  commodious  building,  and  rapidly  growing  in  resources  and  influence. 

In  the  year  185 1,  Mr.  Silliman  made  a  second  journey  to  Europe,  accompanied  by 
Professor  and  Mrs.  B.  Silliman,  jr.,  and  several  other  friends.  It  was  a  journey 
of  especial  interest  to  him,  as  it  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  personally  meeting  many 
of  the  most  distinguished  men  of  science,  with  some  of  whom  he  had  for  years 
held  epistolary  communication.  In  England  he  received  warm  greetings  from  Dr. 
Mantell,  Lyell,  Murchison,  and  other  savants ;  in  Paris  he  enjoyed  the  courteous  atten- 
tions of  Adolphe  Brongniart,  Milne  Edwards,  Elie  de  Beaumont,  and  others  of  like 
fame,  and  was  escorted  to  a  meeting  of  the  French  Academy  by  Cordier,  the  only  sur- 
viving member  of  the  celebrated  scientific  corps  which  accompanied  Napoleon  into 
Egypt.  In  Naples  he  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  Melloni,  the  famous  investigator  of 
the  laws  of  radiant  heat ;  and  on  his  return  northward,  in  a  brief  stay  at  Geneva,  he 
met,  among  others,  Favre,  Pictet,  Marigniac,  and  August  de  la  Rive,  the  celebrated 
electrician,  who  well  remembered  and  spoke  of  his  early  experiments  with  the  voltaic 
pile.  In  Germany  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  and  meeting  in  friendly  intercourse 
Humboldt,  Ritter,  Liebig,  Ehrenberg,  the  brothers  Rose,  and  many  others  whose 
names  are   now  part  of  the  history  of  science.     His  own  scientific  work,  but  more 


220  YALE  COLLEGE. 

especially  his  editorship  of  the  American  Journal,  had  made  him  well  known  to  the 
host  of  scientific  workers,  and  the  cordiality  of  his  reception  by  them  afforded  many 
delightful  memories  after  his  return,  which  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year. 
He  subsequently  published,  in  two  volumes,  an  account  of  his  journey,  entitled,  "  A 
Visit  to  Europe  in  185 1,"  which  passed  through  several  editions,  and  was  received  with 
great  favor.  Though  perhaps  exciting  less  enthusiasm  than  the  earlier  volumes,  which 
appeared  at  a  time  when  such  narratives  had  the  advantage  of  greater  novelty,  they 
are  not  inferior  to  them  in  the  entertainment  and  instruction  which  they  afford  to  the 
reader. 

With  advancing  years  came  the  feeling  that  the  time  for  closing  his  official  connec- 
tion with  the  college  was  approaching,  and  in  August,  1849,  having  then  reached  his 
seventieth  year,  Professor  Silliman  signified  to  the  corporation  his  intention  of  offering 
his  resignation,  to  take  effect  at  the  end  of  the  next  college  year,  but  was  unanimously 
requested  by  his  colleagues  and  the  Prudential  Committee  to  withdraw  it  for  a  season. 
This  he  consented  to  do,  and  he  continued  to  give  instruction  for  the  next  three  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  ceased  his  active  connection  with  the  institution,  having 
been  an  officer  in  it  for  nearly  fifty-four  years.  The  duties  of  his  professorship  were 
divided,  the  Department  of  Geology  and  Mineralogy  being  assigned  to  his  son-in-law, 
Professor  James  D.  Dana,  and  that  of  Chemistry  to  his  son,  B.  Silliman,  jr.,  who  was 
already  professor  in  the  Scientific  School.  It  was  a  source  of  especial  gratification  to 
him,  in  the  closing  years  of  his  life,  that  the  departments  which  had  grown  up  under 
his  hand,  and  had  developed  under  his  watchful  energy,  should  be  continued  by  those 
who  stood  to  him  in  such  relations  of  confidence  and  affection. 

Although  his  responsibility  for  the  discharge  of  the  active  duties  of  a  college  officer 
had  ended,  Mr.  Silliman  retained  an  honorary  connection  with  the  college  through  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  having  been  made  Professor  Emeritus,  by  the  corporation,  at  the 
time  of  his  resignation — and  he  never  ceased  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  the  institution.  Nor  was  he  indifferent  to  the  course  of  events  in  the 
world  beyond  college  walls,  especially  the  exciting  movements  upon  the  field  of 
national  politics,  which  had  begun  to  assume  an  ominous  significance ;  and  more  than 
once  his  name  was  brought  into  prominence,  during  the  troubles  in  Kansas,  by  his 
earnest  advocacy  of  the  principles  of  freedom,  and  his  outspoken  denunciations  of  the 
weak  and  truckling  national  policy  of  the  time, — a  course  which  brought  upon  him 
the  bitter  hostility  of  its  supporters,  and  subjected  him  to  much  abusive  criticism,  while 
on  the  other  hand  it  gained  for  him  the  unstinted  commendation  of  some  of  the  most 
eminent  statesmen  of  the  country.  His  retirement  was  spent  in  happiness  and  tran- 
quillity among  the  scenes  and  many  of  the  friends  of  his  active  years,  and  in  circum- 
stances of  rare  domestic  felicity.  His  life  ended  suddenly,  but  painlessly,  on  the 
morning  of  Thanksgiving  day,  the  24th  of  November,  1 864,  having  extended  over  a 
period  of  more  than  eighty-five  years. 

As  a  college  officer,  Professor  Silliman  entered  into  his  work  with  sincere  devotion, 
and  he  co-operated  with  his  colleagues  zealously  and  with  a  spirit  of  cordial  friendli- 
ness in  the  work  of  administering  the  affairs  of  the  college.     To  the  peculiar  duties  of 


BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN.  221 

his  own  department  he  brought  a  genuine  enthusiasm,  and  a  spirit  of  watchful  enter- 
prise, never  failing  to  inform  himself  of  the  progress  of  science,  and  ever  studying  to 
improve  and  develop  both  the  methods  and  the  means  of  conveying  instruction. 
Entering  upon  his  professorship  when  the  sciences  he  was  to  teach  were  introduced 
to  the  college  course  for  the  first  time,  he  speedily  brought  his  department  to  such 
a  degree  of  efficiency  and  prominence  that  it  threatened  to  overshadow  the  other 
branches  of  study  pursued  in  the  institution.  His  instruction  was  given  chiefly  by 
means  of  lectures,  and  here  his  talents  found  their  appropriate  field,  for  besides  the 
charms  of  an  attractive  manner,  and  the  graces  of  an  agreeable  style,  he  possessed 
great  manipulative  skill,  and  a  readiness  and  fertility  in  devising  and  executing  experi- 
mental demonstrations  that  rendered  his  presentation  of  the  truths  of  science  doubly 
effective.  The  grandeur  of  conception  and  the  thorough  preparation  of  the  experi- 
mental illustrations  enabled  him  to  exhibit  the  wonderful  play  of  forces  in  chemical 
reactions,  and  the  marvelous  effects  of  the  voltaic  current,  with  a  splendor  and  com- 
pleteness rarely  equaled.  Says  President  Woolsey,  in  his  Funeral  Discourse:  "As  a 
lecturer,  he  was  almost  unsurpassed.  Without  a  severe  logical  method,  he  threw  so 
much  zeal  into  his  discourse,  expressed  himself  with  such  an  attractive  rhetoric,  and 
supported  his  doctrine  by  experiments  of  such  almost  unfailing  beauty  and  success, 
that  all  audiences  delighted  to  hear  him  ;  so  that  for  years  no  lecturer  so  attractive 
could  address  an  assembly,  whether  gathered  within  the  walls  of  a  college  or  from  the 
people  of  crowded  cities.  In  his  own  lecture-room  the  students  felt  the  genial  sway 
of  his  oratory.  No  other  such  instructions  were  given,  uniting  at  once  pleasure  and 
improvement.  Hence  for  many  years  the  study  of  chemistry  was,  perhaps,  the  most 
popular  one  in  the  institution."  Though  zealous  and  successful  in  his  labors  at  home, 
Professor  Silliman  did  not  limit  the  sphere  of  his  scientific  labors  and  influences  to  the 
world  within  college  walls.  During  the  later  portion  of  his  professional  career  he 
delivered  numerous  courses  of  popular  lectures,  visiting  in  turn,  in  response  to  urgent 
invitations,  most  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  Union.  These  lectures,  carefully  pre- 
pared and  fully  illustrated  with  experiments,  awakened  great  enthusiasm,  and  created 
a  wide-spread  interest  in  scientific  matters.  He  was  almost  a  pioneer  in  this  field  of 
public  instruction,  and  the  extent  of  his  influence,  both  in  diffusing  knowledge,  and,  by 
enforcing  the  interest  and  importance  of  scientific  studies,  inciting  others  to  pursue 
them,  can  hardly  be  overestimated. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  Mr.  Silliman's  own  investigations  with  the  com- 
pound blow-pipe  and  the  deflagrator,  and  of  his  labors  in  connection  with  the  Weston 
meteorite.  The  results  he  obtained  in  these  researches  were  of  permanent  value,  and 
they  attracted  the  attention  of  scientific  men  everywhere.  But  though  these  were  the 
most  important,  they  were  but  a  small  proportion  of  his  contributions  to  science. 
Numerous  articles  from  his  pen,  upon  scientific  topics,  appeared  in  the  Journal  of 
Science  and  elsewhere.  Of  these  the  Catalogue  of  Scientific  Memoirs,  published  by 
the  Royal  Society  of  London,  enumerates  by  title  more  than  sixty.  After  Gay- 
Lussac's  process  of  obtaining  potassium  by  the  reduction  of  its  hydrate  by  heat  was 
made  known,  he  successfully  repeated  the  experiment,  and  was  probably  the  first  per- 


22  2  YALE  COLLEGE. 

son  in  the  country  to  procure  this  element  in  the  metallic  form.  He  also  reproduced 
the  memoir  of  Gay-Lussac  itself,  and  made  it  accessible  to  American  students.  That 
he  should  follow  out  the  path  of  research  so  successfully  entered  upon,  was  soon  ren- 
dered almost  impossible  by  the  pressure  of  his  labors  of  instruction,  both  public  and 
private,  which  absorbed  his  whole  attention  and  employed  his  full  strength.  But  the 
benefit  he  wrought  for  science  by  this  less  conspicuous  way  of  serving  her  was  per- 
haps even  greater  than  would  have  resulted  from  numerous  discoveries.  For,  with 
his  power  of  vivid  presentation  and  impressive  illustration  of  scientific  truth,  he  awak- 
ened in  his  students  an  enthusiasm  which  led  many  of  them  to  scientific  careers,  and 
some  of  them  to  distinction.  We  may  mention  here,  also,  as  a  part  of  his  work  for 
science,  his  edition  of  "  Henry's  Chemistry,"  which  he  published  first  in  1808,  adding 
to  the  title  simply  "With  Notes  by  an  American  Chemist ;  "  and  his  edition  of  "  Bake- 
well's  Geology,"  first  issued  in  1829.  Both  of  these  works  passed  through  three 
editions,  and  were  very  generally  introduced  as  text-books  throughout  the  country. 
These  were  followed  by  his  own  "Elements  of  Chemistry,"  an  elaborate  work  in  two 
octavo  volumes,  published  in  1830.  It  contained,  besides  the  ordinary  matter  of  a 
chemical  text-book,  much  that  was  original  with  him,  the  results  of  twenty-five  years 
of  active  experimental  work. 

When  we  turn  from  the  professional  life  of  Professor  Silliman  to  consider  him  in  his 
character  as  a  man,  we  find  him  appearing  in  a  still  more  attractive  guise.  To  a 
fine  personal  appearance  and  a  dignified  presence  which  spontaneously  commanded 
respect,  were  added  a  winning  courtesy  of  manner  and  an  instinctive  friendliness  and 
affability,  which  speedily  deepened  the  first  favorable  impression  to  a  feeling  of  admi- 
ration and  affection.  He  was  of  a  social  habit  by  nature,  and  possessed  unusual  con- 
versational powers,  being  eminently  a  man  of  "large  discourse."  In  his  religious  life, 
which  was  a  strongly  marked  element  of  his  character,  he  was  thoroughly  unostenta- 
tious, but  his  feelings  were  deep  and  sincere,  and  his  life  beautifully  consistent.  We 
may  add  the  estimate  of  one  who  was  for  many  years  associated  with  him  as  a  college 
officer,  in  quoting,  from  the  same  source  as  before,  the  words  of  President  Woolsey : 
"  He  was,  among  all  the  men  who  have  lived  in  this  city  during  the  present  century — 
as  I  think  will  be  conceded  by  everybody — the  most  finished  gentleman.  And  this 
was  true  of  him  in  the  highest  sense.  I  mean  that  it  pertained  not  to  his  exterior,  but 
to  his  character  and  his  soul.  It  was  founded  on  a  high  sense  of  honor,  a  delicate  per- 
ception of  what  was  due  to  others,  and  was  due  from  them  to  him.  His  dignity  of 
manner  was  not  so  much  modeled  after  the  old  style  which  the  gentlemen  of  the  days 
before  the  Revolution  handed  down,  as  it  ran  back  into  dignity  of  character ;  it  pro- 
ceeded from  a  self- valuation,  which,  without  being  assuming,  takes  the  right  place, 
neither  depriving  others  of  what  is  their  due,  nor  being  afraid  to  occupy  a  position 
which  is  fairly  one's  own.  But  the  radical,  essential  trait  of  his  gentlemanly  character, 
was  gentleness  and  kindness.  This  led  him  to  study  the  pleasure,  to  respect  the  feel- 
ings of  those  in  whose  society  he  was  placed,  and  this  whether  they  were  high  or  low 
in  the  world.  For  the  poor,  the  dependent,  the  young,  the  undistinguished — for  all — 
he  had  a  good  word,  and  the  word  was  not  an  empty  token,  but  the  indication  of  the 


BENJAMIN  SILLIMAN.  223 

truth  that  lay  in  the  heart.  Hence  all  loved  him."  The  portrait  which  accompanies 
this  sketch  is  a  good  representation  of  Mr.  Silliman  as  he  appeared  in  the  later  years 
of  his  life,  but  no  picture  can  give  the  animated  expressions  which  lighted  up  his  coun- 
tenance when  engaged  in  conversation  or  enjoying  the  pleasurable  excitement  of  social 
intercourse,  or  when  unfolding  the  grand  principles  of  science  to  an  interested  and 
attentive  audience.  The  purpose  of  this  notice,  which  is  appropriately  limited  to  the 
principal  incidents  of  his  academic  career,  naturally  excludes  an  account  of  many  mat- 
ters of  interest  in  connection  with  Mr.  Silliman's  private  life  and  his  domestic  relations. 
For  these  reference  may  be  had  to  the  memorial  prepared  by  Professor  G.  P.  Fisher,* 
where  these  topics  are  fully  treated. 

*  Life  of  Benjamin  Silliman,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  late  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Mineralogy,  and  Geology  in  Yale  College,  chiefly 
from  his  Manuscript  Reminiscences.  Diaries,  and  Correspondence.  By  George  P.  Fisher,  Professor  in  Yale  College.  New 
York,  1866,  2  vols.  8vo. 


JAMES    L.   KINGSLEY, 

PROFESSOR    OF    THE    LATIN    LANGUAGE    AND    LITERATURE. 

BY  DANIEL    C.  GILMAN,   PRESIDENT  OF   THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS   UNIVERSITY,  BALTIMORE, 

MAR  YLAND. 


Selected  by  President  Dwight  to  be  Professor  of  Languages. — A  Typical  New  England  Scholar. — 
Prominent  Events  of  his  Life. — Personal  Reminiscences  of  the  Writer. — Chief  Representative  of 
the  Study  of  the  Humanities  in  the  College. — Dr.  Woolsey's  Estimate. — A  truly  Academical  Man. 

When  Dr.  Dwight,  near  the  close  of  the  last  century,  soon  after  his  appointment  to 
be  President  of  Yale  College,  made  choice  of  three  young  men  then  recently  gradu- 
ated to  be  his  colleagues  in  the  Faculty,  and  intrusted  to  them  the  guidance  of  studies 
in  language,  mathematics,  and  science,  he  was  not  only  shaping  the  educational  policy 
of  the  college  for  the  next  fifty  years,  but  he  was  determining  unconsciously  the  living 
forces  by  which  during  the  same  period  this  policy  should  be  carried  out.  Few  will 
question  the  assertion  that  Dwight  and  his  three  chief  associates — Day,  Silliman, 
and  Kingsley — made  Yale  College  a  national  school  of  liberal  scope  and  thorough 
scholarship. 

Kingsley,  the  youngest  of  these  four  men,  is  least  known  of  them  all.  He  shrunk 
from  every  position  which  would  give  him  notoriety  or  make  him  conspicuous  ;  he 
disliked  applause  and  was  indifferent  to  fame.  He  has  consequently  left  behind  him 
very  little  which  is  read  by  the  present  generation,  and  the  story  of  his  life  is  that  of  a 
quiet  academician,  beloved  and  honored  most  by  those  who  knew  him  best,  not  that 
of  a  public  preacher,  administrator,  or  lecturer.  In  the  annals  of  Yale,  Dwight  and 
Day  will  be  remembered  as  the  heads  of  the  college  on  whom  the  honors  and  burdens 
of  the  highest  official  station  rested  for  half  a  century  ;  Silliman  as  the  founder  of  the 
American  Journal  of  Science,  and  the  charming  lecturer  on  chemistry  and  geology,  at 
home  and  abroad  ;  Kingsley  as  the  scholar  of  varied  and  exact  attainments,  whose 
learning,  judgment,  wit,  and  wisdom  were  the  support  and  defense  of  all  his  associates. 
If  his  renown  is  restricted  to  the  few  who  know  the  inner  history  of  the  college  from 

224 


-^&.  yU^y 


yAMES  L.  KINGS  LEV.  225 

1800  to  1850,  it  will  be  cherished  by  them  with  enthusiastic  admiration.  Perhaps 
when  the  records  of  New  England  scholarship  become  as  interesting  by  their  antiquity 
as  those  of  Oxford  are  now,  some  distant  biographer  will  look  up  and  record,  as  Patti- 
son  has  lately  done  in  his  "  Life  of  Casaubon,"  the  details  of  a  scholar's  life  and  works 
which  contemporaries,  from  their  near  point  of  view,  did  not  fully  appreciate. 

Such  persons  as  Woolsey,  Thacher,  and  Bacon  among  the  living  officers  of  the  col- 
lege, as  Gibbs,  Herrick,  Larned,  and  Hadley  among  the  deceased,  and  hosts  of 
graduates,  already  gone  or  growing  old,  in  various  walks  of  professional  life,  have 
shown  their  appreciation  of  Mr.  Kingsley's  character  and  influence, — and  yet  it  is  no 
easy  task  to  convey  to  the  students  of  1877  a  just  notion  of  the  life  which  closed  nearly 
a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.* 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  progenitor  of  the  American  Kingsleys,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  the  Puritan  times,  left  a  brother  in  England,  a  soldier  in  the  Parliamentary 
army,  from  whom  descended  the  English  Kingsleys,  well  known  among  us,. — Charles, 
the  Canon  of  Westminster,  and  his  brother  Henry.  The  father  of  these  writers,  a 
clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  our  Professor  Kingsley,  were  personal 
acquaintances  and  were  long  in  correspondence  ;  and  Canon  Kingsley,  when  he  visited 
New  Haven,  in  1874,  alluded  in  his  public  lecture  to  this  kinship  in  nearly  if  not  pre- 
cisely these  words : 

"And  these  if  not  always  our  common  ancestors  were  often  enough  our  common  cousins,  as  in  the  case  of 
my  own  family,  in  which  one  brother  was  settling  in  New  England  to  found  there  a  whole  new  family  of 
Kingsleys,  while  the  other  brother  was  fighting  in  the  Parliamentary  army  and  helping  to  defeat  Charles  at 
Rowton  Moor. "  t 

The  earliest  American  ancestor  of  Professor  Kingsley — six  generations  before  him 
— was  one  of  seven  men  who  constituted,  in  1636,  the  church  in  Dorchester,  Massa- 
chusetts. The  lineage  remained  in  New  England.  His  immediate  parents  resided  in 
Windham,  Connecticut,  where,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1778,  James  Luce  Kingsley  was 
born.  His  desire  to  go  to  college  was  early  awakened  by  a  family  friend,  Captain 
John  Whiting,  a  graduate  of  Yale  in  1726,  who  resided  in  Windham,  and  was  for  some 
years  before  his  death  the  oldest  living  graduate  of  the  college.  A  "Triennial  Cata- 
logue "  quickened  his  boyish  curiosity  ;  an  associate  library  furnished  him  with  books ; 
under  his  mother's  guidance  he  became  familiar,  in  an  uncommon  degree,  with  the 
language  of  the  English  Bible ;  in  the  neighboring  schools  he  was  fitted  for  college. 
After  a  year  in  Williams,  he  entered  Yale,  and  graduated  there  in  1 799.  Two  years 
later  he  became  tutor.  In  1805,  he  was  made  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages  and 
Ecclesiastical  History.  First  one  branch  and  then  another  and  another  were  assigned 
to  other  teachers,  so  that  toward  the  close  of  his  life  he  was  Professor  of  the  Latin 
Language  only.  He  died  in  New  Haven,  August  31,  1852,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years,  having  honorably  served  the  college  for  over  fifty  years. 

The  near  ties  of  kindred  gave  me  a  home  in  his  family  during  my  college  course, 

*  The  Addresses  given  soon  after  Professor  Kingsley's  death  by  President  Woolsey  and  Professor  Thacher  were  printed  in 
a  pamphlet,  and  subsequently  another  sketch  of  his  life,  by  the  writer  of  this  article,  appeared  in  the  Congregational  Quarterly. 
f  Charles  Kingsley,  Lecture  on  Westminster  Abbey. 
VOL.  I. — 29 


226  YALE  COLLEGE. 

from  1848  to  1852.  He  permitted  me  to  occupy  his  study  and  to  use  his  books.  I  do 
not  remember  that  he  ever  helped  me  to  prepare  a  single  lesson,  or  that  he  ever  cor- 
rected one  of  my  compositions,  but  he  was  always  willing-  to  exhibit  the  principles 
and  methods  by  which  a  study  should  be  pursued.  He  took  pains  to  make  interesting 
the  different  branches  of  learning  as  they  successively  came  up,  and  especially  am  I 
indebted  to  him  for  acquainting  me  with  good  writers,  and  for  showing  me  how  to 
make  the  best  use  of  books.  He  also  developed  an  enthusiastic  interest  in  the 
history  of  our  alma  mater,  in  its  benefactors  and  graduates,  and  in  the  relations  of  this 
institution  to  the  progress  of  American  education.  While  perhaps  he  never  tried  to 
influence  my  conduct  or  opinions,  by  his  unconscious  guidance  I  graduated  with  the 
belief  that  there  was  no  life  so  attractive  as  one  devoted  to  building  up  and  carrying 
forward  an  institution  of  learning. 

After  many  years  of  intercourse  with  other  college  men,  I  look  back  on  the  attain- 
ments of  Mr.  Kingsley  with  wonder.  Though  the  opportunities  which  the  country 
afforded  at  the  time  of  his  boyhood  and  even  the  instructions  of  the  college  were  so 
inferior  to  what  they  are  now,  and  the  books  to  which  he  could  have  access  were  so 
few,  the  extent  and  accuracy  of  his  knowledge  on  all  subjects  was  remarkable.  They 
were  noteworthy  when  he  was  young ;  they  grew  more  noteworthy  as  long  as  he  lived. 

For  many  years  he  was  the  chief  representative  of  the  study  of  the  Humanities  in 
Yale  College,  for  he  was  the  head  of  the  instruction  in  Greek  and  Latin  (which  was 
largely  carried  on  by  the  tutors),  the  lecturer  on  history,  and  the  instructor  in  Hebrew. 
Few  men  could  till  so  wide  a  field  with  much  success,  but  he  knew  and  loved  the 
subjects  which  he  taught ;  he  believed  them  to  be  the  best  instruments  of  intellectual 
discipline,  and  so  he  taught  them  with  success.  He  would  not  suffer  them  to  be  neg- 
lected or  superseded  within  the  college ;  he  was  quick  in  their  defense  when  they  were 
attacked  from  without.  His  attainments  in  all  these  branches  were  so  good  that  his 
championship  of  their  value  was  always  discriminating  and  just,  as  well  as  valiant. 
With  a  knightly  vigor  he  entered  the  lists  for  the  support  of  classical  studies  whenever 
the  slightest  reproach  was  thrown  upon  their  importance.  He  was  also  the  defender 
of  Yale  College  whenever  its  purposes  or  policy  were  attacked.  When  a  member  of 
the  corporation  proposed  a  radical  change  in  the  course  of  instruction,  it  was  Mr. 
Kingsley's  logic  which  completely  silenced  the  critic.  When  the  historians  of  other 
institutions  overlooked  or  misinterpreted  the  historic  truth  in  respect  to  Yale  College, 
he  lost  no  time  in  pointing  out  the  omission  or  the  blunder.  When  his  colleague  was 
assailed  for  claiming  that  "days"  in  Genesis  might  be  "periods,"  his  scholarship  came 
to  the  geologist's  defense. 

But  he  was  always  ready  to  attack  pretense  or  assumption,  even  among  those  who 
had  been  trained  in  the  college,  and  many  a  graduate  as  well  as  undergraduate  has 
smarted  under  his  keen  but  not  unkindly  censure. 

He  was  fond  of  the  college  traditions  and  usages,  and  especially  took  pleasure  in 
perpetuating  the  memory  of  early  benefactors.  He  promoted  the  official  use  of  aca- 
demic Latin  upon  occasions  of  ceremony.  He  adhered  to  old  customs ;  he  loved  the 
old  ways  as  he  would  love  "old  wine,  old  books,  old  friends;"  not  to  the  exclusion  of 


JAMES  L.   KINGS  LEY.  227 

that  which  was  new  and  good,  but  to  the  perpetuation  of  that  which  had  been  tried 
and  found  true.  For  example,  during  his  lifetime  the  annual  offer  of  the  Berkeley 
prize  was  made  in  Latin  on  the  college  bulletin  at  the  door  of  the  Lyceum,  the  suc- 
cessful candidates  were  there  announced  in  like  manner,  and  the  books  bestowed  as 
prizes  were  dedicated  with  a  Latin  inscription. 

I  doubt  whether  any  one  has  ever  been  connected  with  Yale  College  who  understood 
so  thoroughly  as  Mr.  Kingsley  the  history  of  the  college  in  all  the  curious  phases  of  its 
internal  development,  and  in  all  its  relations  to  the  State  of  Connecticut  and  to  the 
progress  of  education  and  science  throughout  the  country.  He  published  a  compen- 
dium of  the  college  history,  which  remains  to  this  day  the  best  summary  which  we 
have  ;  but  the  extraordinary  stores  of  his  memory  far  surpassed  what  he  reduced  to  a 
written  form.  His  knowledge  of  the  history  of  New  Haven,  of  Connecticut,  and  of 
New  England,  was  not  surpassed,  I  venture  to  say,  by  that  of  any  of  his  contempo- 
raries. His  address  at  the  two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  New 
Haven   was  acknowledged  to  be  masterly. 

As  a  teacher  he  excelled  in  this  respect :  whatever  was  false,  affected,  pretentious, 
received  his  hearty  condemnation.  He  encouraged  directness,  simplicity,  accuracy, 
clearness.  He  could  be  very  patient  with  a  slow,  plodding,  careful  student,  and  very 
impatient  with  a  pretentious,  blundering,  conceited  upstart.  To  hundreds  of  the  col- 
lege graduates  he  taught  the  advantage  of  a  pure  idiomatic  use  of  the  English  lan- 
guage, which  was  well  exemplified  in  all  his  own  writings.  Some  of  them,  long  after 
they  ceased  to  be  enrolled  as  pupils,  came  under  his  public  criticism  for  just  such  errors 
and  defects  as  he  endeavored  to  correct  among  the  undergraduates.  He  disliked  to 
have  the  college  in  any  way  pretentiously  brought  forward.  He  would  have  the  insti- 
tution, as  well  as  its  officers  and  students,  unassuming  and  modest. 

If  a  long  and  honorable  life  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  college  ;  if  wise  counsels  in 
respect  to  its  management ;  if  strong  blows  struck  in  its  defense ;  if  quickening  influ- 
ences upon  its  most  accomplished  officers ;  if  constant  endeavors  to  exclude  parade ; 
if  the  skillful  interpretation  of  the  history  of  New  England  institutions  ;  if  the  generous 
commemoration  of  founders  and  benefactors ;  if  the  vigorous  support  of  sound  views 
in  religion,  politics,  literature,  and  education  ;  if  a  learned  mind,  devout  heart,  and 
ready  pen  entitle  a  scholar  to  lasting  honors  in  a  society  of  scholars — none  will  hesi- 
tate to  say  that  perpetual  and  grateful  homage  is  due  from  Yalensians  to  the  name  of 
Professor  Kingsley. 

President  Woolsey  has  left  this  record  of  the  influence  which  he  received  from  Mr. 
Kingsley:  "The  outpourings  of  his  private  hours,  at  his  chamber  in  college,  or  upon 
the  walk  from  prayers  home,  have  been  among  the  refreshments  of  my  life.  He  has, 
more  than  any  person,  influenced  my  movements  where  questions  of  importance  were 
stated ;  I  have  sympathized  with  him  in  his  sorrows,  and  he  with  me.  And  now,  when 
the  grave  is  about  to  close  over  all  that  is  mortal  in  him,  when  his  sparkling  wit,  his 
keen  observations  on  life,  his  exact  reproduction  of  impressions  made  by  what  he  has 
seen,  his  valuable  experience  and  stores  of  information,  his  interest  and  curiosity  in  all 
that  is  new,  his  opinions  on  politics  or  literature,  are  missed ;   and  that  low  voice,  to 


228  YALE  COLLEGE. 

which  friends  have  listened  with  delight,  is  hushed ;  I  feel  that  a  person  of  a  most 
uncommon  union  of  qualities,  and  of  a  most  rare  individuality,  has  left  us ;  a  truly  aca- 
demical man,  one,  the  like  of  whom  his  alma  mater,  though  she  may  see  as  able  and 
devoted  to  her  interests,  will  not  soon  look  upon." 

Professor  Thacher's  more  elaborate  eulogy  concludes  with  a  close  analysis  of  Mr. 
Kingsley's  character,  from  which  one  passage  will  be  quoted  here :  "As  a  colleague, 
Professor  Kingsley  was  respected  and  beloved  by  his  associates,  who  feel  that  by  his 
death  not  only  one  of  the  main  pillars  of  the  institution  is  taken  away,  but  also  that 
they  have  lost  a  personal  friend — a  friend  who,  without  any  pretension,  and  inclined 
even  to  make  himself  of  but  little  importance, — by  his  daily  society, — by  his  conversa- 
tion, which  ever  held  them  delighted, — by  his  quick  sympathy,  which  sought  to  relieve 
the  tedium  of  sickness,  or,  not  with  the  mockery  of  words  but  the  deep  emotion  of  his 
soul,  shared  in  the  sorrows  of  those  who  mourned, — by  his  readiness  to  aid  them  in 
their  public  labors,  however  slight  the  urgency — in  short,  by  all  that  he  did  and  all 
that  he  was,  made  himself  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  their  happiness  from  day  to  day. 
He  was  one  with  them.  That  friendly  harmony  which  came  down  with  him  and  his 
life-associates  from  the  beginning  of  the  century,  never  ceased  in  the  body  to  which 
he  belonged.  He  was  united  with  them  in  one  great  object — the  welfare  and  good 
progress  of  the  college.  They  were  a  part  of  it  to  him,  and  his  life  was  bound  up 
in  its  prosperity." 


ALEXANDER    METCALF    FISHER. 


ALEXANDER    METCALF    FISHER, 

PROFESSOR    OF    MATHEMATICS    AND    NATURAL    PHILOSOPHY. 

BY  PROFESSOR  HUBERT  A.  NEWTON. 


Short  Period  of  Service  as  a  College  Officer. — Contributions  to  various  Periodicals.  —  "Journey 
to  Jupiter." — Reviews. — Mathematical  Papers. — Printing  Press. — Paper  on  "Musical  Temperament." 
— Estimates  of  his  Character  by  Professors  Silliman,   Kingsley,   and  Olmsted. 

Alexander  Metcalf  Fisher,  the  eldest  son  of  Deacon  Caleb  Fisher,  of  Franklin, 
Massachusetts,  was  born  July  22,  1794.  He  entered  Yale  College  in  1809,  and 
received  his  Bachelor's  degree  in  1813.  The  first  two  years  after  graduation  he  spent 
at  Franklin  and  at  Andover  in  the  study  of  mental  and  moral  science  and  of  theology. 
In  18 1 5,  he  was  elected  Tutor  in  Yale  College.  In  July,  181 7,  when  Professor  Day 
was  elected  President,  Mr.  Fisher  was  made  Adjunct  Professor  of  Mathematics  and 
Natural  Philosophy,  and  in  18 19  he  became  Professor  of  those  branches.  On  the  1st 
of  April,  1822,  he  sailed  in  the  packet-ship  Albion  from  New  York  for  Liverpool.  On 
the  2  2d  of  that  month  the  vessel  was  driven  in  a  storm  upon  the  rocks  three  miles  west 
of  the  Head  of  Old  Kinsale,  on  the  south  coast  of  Ireland,  and  Professor  Fisher,  with 
all  the  other  cabin  passengers  except  one,  was  lost.  He  had  not  completed  the 
twenty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

So  short  a  period  of  service  in  the  college  of  course  did  not  leave  upon  its  history 
those  deep  marks  which  several  men  have  made  by  service  through  a  whole  genera- 
tion. Professor  Fisher's  life  was,  however,  one  of  promise  of  great  things.  Unstinted 
praise  of  his  character  and  mental  powers  were  placed  on  record  at  the  time  by  his 
friends  and  colleagues,  and  similar  generous  tributes  are  heard  to  the  present  day  from 
the  lips  of  those  who  knew  him. 

The  papers  published  by  him  are  as  numerous  and  as  varied  in  character  as  could 
be  expected  from  one  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven.  His  studies  were  in  no 
narrow  line.  An  article  published  anonymously  by  him  in  the  Microscope  describes 
the  travels  of  Captain  Gulliver  to  Jupiter,  and  thence  back  to  one  of  the  four  asteroids 
then  known.     It  shows  an  unusual  power  of  fancy,  in   its  kind  not  unlike  that  of  the 

229 


230  YALE  COLLEGE. 

books  of  Jules  Verne,  but  in  its  character  somewhat  less  grotesque.  His  clear  concep- 
tion of  what  a  college  text-book  should  be  is  well  shown  in  his  review  of  "  Enfield's 
Philosophy,"  the  work  then  commonly  in  use  in  the  colleges.  This  review  appeared 
anonymously  in  the  third  volume  of  the  American  Journal  of  Science  in  1821. 

An  article  from  his  pen,  which  appeared  anonymously  in  the  Christian  Spectator, 
in  18 19,  reviews  the  Burnett  Prize  Essay  of  Dr.  W.  L.  Brown  on  the  existence  and 
character  of  God.  Dr.  Brown  had  followed  a  somewhat  beaten  path  in  stating  argu- 
ments from  necessary  existence  and  the  necessities  of  God's  nature  to  prove  God's 
existence  and  goodness.  The  effects  of  Dr.  Emmons's  teaching  upon  Professor  Fisher's 
mind  and  character  (for  his  father  was  deacon  in  Dr.  Emmons's  church  at  Franklin) 
are  well  shown  in  the  review.  The  discussion  also  reveals  his  deep  love  of  truth,  his 
reverence  for  God  and  for  revelation,  and  the  earnestness  of  his  convictions.  We  see 
also  those  mental  questionings  which  doubtless  were  the  cause  of  his  never  making  a 
public  profession  of  his  Christian  faith. 

His  writings  in  pure  and  applied  mathematics  consist  of  solutions  of  problems,  pub- 
lished in  various  journals,  especially  in  "  Leybourn's  Repository  ;  "  of  a  memoir  on  the 
comet  of  18 19,  with  a  computation  of  its  orbit,  in  the  "Transactions  of  the  American 
Academy  ;"  and  of  three  or  four  articles  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science.  One  of 
these  latter  gives  the  solutions  of  certain  problems  of  maxima  and  minima  with  two 
variables,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  neatness  and  brevity  of  the  processes.  Another 
consists  of  a  description  of  a  recently  invented  printing-press,  and  of  a  theory  of  the 
forces  involved  in  the  action  of  such  machines. 

The  most  elaborate  of  these  articles  is  an  essay  on  Musical  Temperament.  Pro- 
fessor Fisher  was  very  fond  of  music,  and  was  thus  led  to  study  its  theory.  The  article 
appeared  in  18 19,  and  was  the  leading  article  in  the  first  number  of  the  first  volume 
of  the  American  Journal  of  Science.  The  problem  which  he  attempted  to  solve  was 
to  determine  that  system  of  temperament  for  the  concords  in  the  changeable  scale,  and 
also  in  the  douzeave  scale  which  will  render  them,  including  every  consideration,  the 
most  harmonious  possible.  He  assumed  that  the  ill  effect  of  the  temperament  is  pro- 
portioned to  the  amount  of  the  temperament,  and  also  to  the  frequency  of  the  occur- 
rence of  the  consonance.  To  determine  this  frequency  he  analyzed  a  very  large 
number  of  scores  and  signatures  of  organ  music,  and  tabulated  the  results.  From 
these  he  deduced  a  solution  of  the  proposed  problem. 

The  estimation  in  which  Professor  Fisher  was  held  by  his  colleagues  is  shown  by 
the  language  of  Professors  Silliman,  Kingsley,  and  Olmsted.  The  former,  in  an 
obituary  notice  of  Professor  Fisher,  in  the  fifth  volume  of  the  American  Journal  of 
Science,  says  :  "I  can  truly  say  that  Mr.  Fisher  was  the  most  extraordinary  man  of 
his  years  whom  I  have  ever  known.  Acquisitions  equal  to  his  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight  I  have  never  seen,  nor  a  more  vigorous  and  acute  intellect  at  any  age.  *  *  * 
Perhaps  it  is  not  improper  to  add  that  at  a  period  when  from  the  failure  of  health  it 
appeared  probable  that  this  journal  must  either  be  relinquished  or  pass  into  other 
hands,  Professor  Fisher  was  the  man  who  would  have  been  depended  upon  to  assume 
that  responsibility."     Professor  Kingsley  said  of  him  :    "  He  was  one  whose  talents  and 


PROFESSOR  ALEXANDER  METCALF  FISHER.  231 

acquisitions  we  deservedly  held  in  the  highest  estimation  ;  one  who  was  an  ornament 
to  this  college,  and  seemed  destined  by  his  zeal  and  activity,  and  the  boldness  and 
success  with  which  he  entered  on  the  most  arduous  courses  of  scientific  research,  to 
be  an  honor  to  his  age  and  country."  Professor  Olmsted  says  in  his  "  Life  of  Mason :  " 
"  The  excellence  of  Fisher  was  that  of  pure  intellect.  His  greatness  as  a  mathema- 
tician was  the  fruit  of  no  peculiar  bias  or  genius  for  that  particular  field  of  knowledge, 
but  it  resulted  naturally  from  the  application  of  a  mind  of  remarkable  strength  and 
acuteness  to  a  subject  of  the  greatest  difficulty.  His  grasp  on  every  other  subject 
requiring  the  highest  powers  of  the  intellect  was  equally  strong.  The  profoundest  sub- 
jects of  human  thought,  such  as  transcend  the  powers  of  ordinary  minds,  seemed  only 
the  natural  and  proper  aliment  of  a  mind  like  his.  Few,  even  of  the  most  distinguished 
men  whom  I  have  had  the  happiness  to  know  intimately,  have  appeared  to  me  to  equal 
him  in  strength  of  judgment — an  attribute  which,  in  its  highest  form,  is  the  result  of 
great  power  to  discern  the  truth,  unswerving  integrity  to  follow  it,  and  an  entire 
exemption  from  every  quality,  such  as  prejudice,  passion,  or  enthusiasm,  which  can 
sway  or  enfeeble  the  decision  of  the  intellect.  Seldom  have  such  quickness  of  percep- 
tion and  such  soundness  of  judgment  been  united  so  fully  in  the  same  individual  as 
they  were  in  this  extraordinary  man." 


DENISON    OLMSTED, 

PROFESSOR   OF    NATURAL    PHILOSOPHY   AND    ASTRONOMY. 
B  Y  PROFESSOR  CHESTER  S.  L  YMAN. 


Professor  Olmsted's  recognized  Position. — Grounds  of  his  Reputation. — By  Nature  a  Teacher. — 
Influences  that  moulded  Him. — Preparation  for  College. — Admiration  for  President  Dwight. — Tutor 
in  College. — Studies  Theology  with  Dr.  Dwight. — Acts  as  his  Amanuensis. — Accepts  a  Professorship  in 
North  Carolina. — Prepares  for  it  with  Professor  Silliman. — Success  at  Chapel  Hill. — Elected  Pro- 
fessor at  Yale. — Disadvantages  of  the  Change. — Meets  with  Success. — Labors  at  New  Haven. — Char- 
acter as  a  Teacher. — Change  in  Professorship. — Preparation  of  Text-books.— Their  Success. — Courses 
of  Lectures. — Interest  in  Public  Education. — Efforts  for  its  Improvement. — His  Labors  for  Science. — 
Makes  a  Geological  Survey  of  North  Carolina. — Scientific  Work  at  New  Haven. — His  Theory  of  Hail- 
storms.— Connection  with  Redfield's  Theory  of  Storms. — Views  respecting  Auroras  and  the  Zodiacal 
Light. — His  Theory  of  Shooting  Stars. — Relation  of  his  Labors  to  those  of  Professor  Twining. — They 
establish  the  true  Theory. — Not  anticipated  by  Chladni. — His  Efforts  to  establish  an  Observatory. — 
His  Character  as  a  Man  and  Citizen. — Connecticut  Parentage  and  early  Training. — Domestic  Life. — 
Christian  Character. — Influence  on  his  Pupils  who  became  Astronomers  or  Physicists  :  Elias  Loomis,  F. 
A.  P.  Barnard,  William  Chauvenet,  J.  S.  Hubbard,  D.  T.  Stoddard,  Francis  Bradley,  E.  C.  Herrick, 
H.  L.  Smith,  E.  P.  Mason. — Mason's  Genius  and  Work. 

An  impartial  estimate  of  the  life  of  Professor  Olmsted,  without  placing  him  in  the 
front  rank  of  the  scientific  men  of  his  day,  will  yet  recognize  him  as  entitled  to  a  place 
of  honor  not  only  in  the  history  and  among  the  worthies  of  Yale  College,  but  also 
among  the  successful  teachers  and  cultivators  of  science.  His  ability  and  learning 
early  brought  him  into  a  public  and  somewhat  conspicuous  position,  and  in  due  time  he 
attained  for  himself — as  attainment  is  ordinarily  measured — no  inconsiderable  distinc- 
tion among  his  fellow-men. 

He  was  chosen  a  professor  in  Yale  College  in  1825,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four,  and  his 
term  of  service  ended  only  with  his  death,  in  1859,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight,  having 
covered  just  one-half  of  his  entire  life,  in  addition  to  his  two  years  of  service  as  tutor 
at  an  earlier  date.  Among  his  colleagues  in  the  faculty  of  the  college  during  the 
greater  part  of  this  long  period  were  such  men  as  Day  and  Silliman,  Kingsley  and 
Woolsey,  not  to  mention  others — all  eminent  and   honored.     Of  Professor  Olmsted  it 

232 


_ 


^g^/^.,  <^/ii*Ji$^>, 


PROFESSOR  DENISON  OLMSTED.  233 

is  sufficient  to  say,  in  a  word,  that  he  was  among  these  a  peer,  always  enjoying,  in  a 
high  degree,  their  confidence  and  affection.  He  was  in  the  fullness  of  his  reputation 
and  usefulness  during  the  fifth  decade  of  the  century.  He  was  then  widely  known  and 
honored  both  among  the  alumni  of  the  college  and  the  intelligent  throughout  the  land, 
nor  was  his  name  without  credit  in  the  highest  scientific  circles  abroad.  His  larger 
text-books  in  natural  philosophy  and  astronomy  had  given  him  reputation  in  most  of 
the  American  colleges,  as  also  had  the  smaller  ones  in  the  schools  and  academies,  far 
and  wide.  Even  in  circles  where  he  was  little  known  perhaps  as  a  scientist  he  was 
in  repute  as  an  inventor,  through  the  excellent  and  long  popular  heat-radiator  known 
as  Olmsted's  stove.  In  the  sphere  of  science  his  name  was  inseparably  linked  with 
showers  of  shooting-stars  and  the  theories  of  their  origin,  and  closely,  also,  with 
Redfield's  theory  of  storms,  and  with  discussions  of  the  phenomena  of  auroras.  He 
was  known  very  widely,  also,  and  highly  appreciated  as  a  zealous  promoter  of  popular 
education,  and  was,  besides,  often  called  upon  to  lecture  on  educational  and  scientific 
topics,  and  to  act  as  expert  or  adviser  on  questions  of  applied  science.  In  short,  Pro- 
fessor Olmsted,  at  that  period,  stood  before  the  public  as  a  figure  somewhat  conspicu- 
ous, yet  not  so  much  for  any  specially  brilliant  points  of  genius  or  character  as  for  the 
well-rounded  symmetry  and  beauty  of  his  entire  life;  just  as  his  personal  appearance 
and  his  characteristics  as  an  instructor  were  impressed  on  the  memories  of  those  who 
listened  to  his  courses  of  lectures  in  the  old  Philosophical  Chamber,  not  so  much  by 
anything  that  distinguished  him  in  particular  from  any  other  well-built,  regular-fea- 
tured, smooth-shaven,  dark-complexioned,  dark-eyed,  dark-haired,  and  pleasant-voiced 
gentleman  and  speaker,  as  by  the  kindliness  of  manner,  evenness  of  temper,  friendli- 
ness and  courtesy  which  characterized  his  entire  bearing,  and  won  for  him,  from  the 
outset,  their  respect  and  confidence.  If  he  lacked  something  of  the  magnetic  presence, 
or  of  the  fervor,  and  facile  off-hand  fluency  of  the  eloquent  professor  of  chemistry  and 
geology,  he  was  highly  appreciated,  nevertheless,  for  his  clear  and  excellent  method, 
and  his  conscientious  fidelity  and  elaborateness  in  imparting  instruction.  And  if  he 
did  not  rival  in  quickness  of  wit  and  keenness  of  critical  acumen  his  eminent  colleague 
the  professor  of  Latin,  nor  enrich  college  tradition  with  as  telling  bon  mots  as  did  that 
very  modest  and  greatly  admired  yet  somewhat  feared  instructor,  he  nevertheless,  by 
his  exemplary  patience  with  dullness,  and  willing  assiduity  in  solving  difficulties,  none 
the  less  readily,  perhaps,  secured  the  respect  and  affection  of  his  pupils.  He  was, 
indeed,  a  man  that  no  one  was  inclined  to  dislike — a  man  well-rounded,  and  without 
sharp  corners — not  crotchety,  nor  ill-balanced.  His  character  was  at  all  points  sym- 
metrical, and  of  the  highest  moral  tone.  His  mental  powers,  if  not  rising  to  genius, 
were  yet  versatile,  and  trained  to  a  high  degree  of  efficiency ;  and  his  attainments  in 
science  and  achievements  in  research,  if  not  such  as  they  doubtless  would  have  been  in 
more  favorable  circumstances,  were  yet  so  considerable,  for  the  times,  as  amply  to 
justify  the  reputation  he  so  widely  enjoyed. 

But  if  we  look  a  little  more  closely  at  the  leading  points  of  Professor  Olmsted's  life, 
we  shall  see  that  it  was  in  teaching,  in  the  broad  sense  of  the  term,  rather  than  in 
original  research,  that  he  chiefly  distinguished  himself,  and  really  accomplished  most 
vol.  1. — 30 


234  YALE  COLLEGE. 

for  his  fellow-men.  He  was,  indeed,  a  teacher  by  nature  ;  his  temperament  and  his 
special  gifts,  intellectual  and  moral,  conspired  to  make  him  an  educator.  The  leading 
influences  by  which  he  had  been  affected  in  the  course  of  his  life — his  environment — 
had  tended,  directly  or  indirectly,  to  develop  in  him  the  teaching  faculty.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  we  find  him  in  charge  of  a  district  school  in  Farmington,  Connecticut,  and 
in  another  of  the  district  schools  of  that  town  he  had  had  his  own  early  training,  his 
home  for  that  purpose  having  been  in  the  family  of  the  good  Governor  Treadwell,  who 
kindly  taught  him  arithmetic  in  the  winter  evenings,  as  that  study  was  not  then  taught 
in  the  public  school.  His  preparation  for  college  had  been  obtained  partly  in  the 
thoroughly  taught  school  of  Mr.  James  Morris,  at  Litchfield  South  Farms,  and  partly 
under  the  tuition  of  Rev.  Noah  Porter,  of  Farmington,  in  both  of  whom  he  had  before 
him  excellent  models  as  teachers.  In  college,  which  he  entered  in  1809,  he  had  at 
once  become  inspired,  like  so  many  others,  with  a  profound  admiration  of  that  most 
magnetic  of  educators,  President  Dwight,  After  graduating,  in  18 13,  with  the  rank 
of  orator  (nine  others  only  taking  that  rank  out  of  seventy  in  the  class),  he  taught 
successfully  a  classical  school  for  boys  in  New  London.  Two  years  later  he  accepted 
a  tutorship  in  Yale  College,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  fidelity  and  credit 
while  also  pursuing  theological  studies  under  Dr.  Dwight,  with  a  view  to  the  ministry, 
and  at  the  same  time  acting  as  amanuensis  to  his  revered  instructor,  then,  as  the  event 
proved,  in  the  last  year  of  his  life,  and  suffering,  as  for  many  years  previously,  from 
impaired  vision.  This  relation  of  intimacy  with  President  Dwight  must  have  had  no 
inconsiderable  influence  in  moulding  his  views  and  habits  as  a  teacher,  as  well  as  his 
entire  character. 

In  181 7,  relinquishing  theology,  he  accepted  the  chair  of  chemistry  (including  min- 
eralogy and  geology)  in  the  university  of  North  Carolina,  and  after  a  year  spent  in 
the  laboratory  of  Professor  Silliman  as  his  assistant,  entered  on  the  duties  of  his  pro- 
fessorship. Seven  years  of  service  at  Chapel  Hill  proved  him  to  be  a  successful 
teacher  of  the  sciences  committed  to  his  charge,  and  at  the  same  time  an  enterprising 
worker  in  the  field  of  geological  investigation,  as  will  be  seen  further  on. 

The  promise  of  which  he  gave  token,  both  at  Chapel  Hill  and  previously  while  tutor 
at  New  Haven,  led  his  alma  mater,  in  1825,  to  call  him  to  the  chair  of  mathematics 
and  natural  philosophy,  made  vacant  by  the  death  of  Professor  Matthew  R.  Dutton. 
This  appointment  was  a  highly  flattering  one  to  Professor  Olmsted,  yet  involving,  as  it 
did,  a  radical  change  in  his  line  of  study,  he  could  only  accept  it  at  a  considerable  dis- 
advantage. He  would  bring  to  it,  indeed,  a  large  experience  in  teaching,  but  hardly 
the  acquisitions  best  fitting  him  for  a  position  in  many  respects  so  different  from  the 
one  he  left.  Indeed,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four,  with  little  training  in  the  higher  mathe- 
matics, it  required  no  small  courage,  as  well  as  confidence  in  his  own  powers,  to  make 
so  great  a  change.  Yet  he  was  found  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  the  wisdom  of  the 
choice  was  amply  justified  by  his  success.  For,  although  he  had  exhibited  no  decided 
taste  or  aptitude,  either  in  boyhood  or  in  college,  for  any  particular  study  or  class  of 
studies,  he  yet  had  shown  thorough  scholarship  in  them  all,  as  well  as  capacity  and 
industry  such- as  could  hardly  fail  to  secure  for  him  distinction. in  any  one  to  which  he 


PROFESSOR   DENISON  OLMSTED. 


235 


should  specially  devote  himself.  He  had  an  early  fondness,  indeed,  for  literature  ;  yet 
he  had  also  become  fond  of  the  physical  sciences,  and  that  fondness  naturally  deep- 
ened with  his  study  of  them.  On  coming  to  New  Haven,  he  devoted  himself  to  his 
new  duties  with  characteristic  assiduity,  and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  attaining 
the  honorable  position  in  his  department  of  instruction  which  he  maintained  through 
life. 

In  New  Haven  his  great  work  still  was  teaching ;  and  he  gave  himself  to  it  not  as  a 
task,  perfunctorily,  but  of  choice.  It  was  to  him  a  noble  profession,  and  he  earnestly 
and  conscientiously  devoted  to  it  his  best  energies.  He  did,  indeed,  do  other  work  at 
times,  and  no  inconsiderable  amount  of  it ;  some  for  science,  as  will  be  seen  further 
on ;  and  some  partly  for  science,  partly  for  reputation  it  may  be,  and  partly  also,  in 
simple  truth,  to  supplement  the  poverty  of  the  college,  and  eke  out  a  subsistence  for 
his  family.  But  still  he  never  lost  sight  of  his  responsibilities  as  a  teacher  and  college 
officer.  He  always  made  it  his  first  business  to  prepare  himself  with  all  thoroughness 
to  meet  his  classes,  whether  in  the  recitation  or  lecture  room,  seeking  earnestly  to 
instruct  them  in  the  best  manner,  and  to  interest  the  young  men  as  far  as  possible  in 
their  studies.  He  took  unwearied  pains  to  keep  his  lectures  up  with  the  times  by 
careful  revision,  and  sometimes  by  almost  entirely  rewriting  them,  not  unfrequently 
also  adding  new  lectures  on  fresh  topics,  even  down  to  the  last  year  of  his  life.  His 
qualities  as  a  teacher  may  perhaps  best  be  summed  up  in  the  careful  words  of  Presi- 
dent Woolsey,  who  was  one  of  his  associates  through  almost  the  whole  period  of  his 
connection  with  the  college.  In  his  very  candid  and  discriminating  commemorative 
discourse,  he  said  of  Professor  Olmsted,  "  His  colleagues  and  friends  regarded  him  as 
born  a  teacher,  as  possessing  a  most  happy  union  of  several  powers,  the  capacity  to 
convey  instruction  with  clearness,  system,  and  elegance  ;  the  capacity  to  impress  the 
pupil  with  the  importance  of  the  branches  taught,  the  disposition  to  shrink  from  no 
labor  necessary  in  preparing  himself  for  teaching,  and  to  require  of  the  student  that  he 
master  and  reproduce  the  lessons  conveyed  to  him." 

Although  in  the  title  of  his  professorship,  mathematics  preceded  natural  philosophy, 
it  was  not  unnatural,  perhaps,  in  the  circumstances,  that  he  should  show  some  prefer- 
ence for  the  latter,  as  better  suited  not  only  to  his  tastes,  but  to  his  previously  acquired 
habits  of  experiment  and  observation.  He  accordingly,  from  the  first,  gave  to  natural 
philosophy — which  then  included  astronomy — his  principal  attention ;  and  it  was 
entirely  in  conformity  with  his  own  wishes  that,  in  1835,  the  department  of  mathe- 
matics was  made  a  separate  chair,  and  assigned  to  the  gifted  Professor  A.  D.  Stanley, 
while  he  himself  retained  his  favorite  branches,  natural  philosophy  and  astronomy. 

On  assuming  his  new  duties,  he  soon  felt  the  want  of  suitable  text-books  in  his 
department.  "Enfield's  Philosophy,"  which  had  held  its  place  in  our  colleges  for  many 
years,  was  far  behind  the  times,  and  some  other  text-books,  then  recently  published, 
were  imperfectly  adapted,  either  in  scope  or  method  of  treatment,  to  the  wants  of 
American  students  at  that  period.  This  recognized  want  Professor  Olmsted  success- 
fully met  in  his  larger  work  on  natural  philosophy,  which  was  first  published  in  1831 
and  1832,  in  two  volumes  octavo.     This  work,  though  professedly,  in  parts,  a  compila- 


236  VALE  COLLEGE. 

tion,  as  in  mechanics  from  the  treatise  of  Bridge,  and  in  some  other  parts  from  Arnott, 
and  though  showing  deficiencies  both  in  matter  and  treatment,  was  yet  characterized 
by  so  many  excellences  of  form  and  arrangement,  and  on  the  whole  was  so  well 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  great  majority  of  students,  that  it  was  from  the  first 
received  with  favor  by  the  public,  and  in  the  many  subsequent  editions,  having  been 
carefully  revised  and  printed  in  a  single  volume,  it  held  its  place  as  a  text-book  in 
most  of  the  colleges  of  the  country  during  the  author's  lifetime,  and  twice  revised  since 
his  death  by  Professor  Snell,  of  Amherst  College,  has  continued  to  be  used  in  many 
institutions  down  to  the  present  day. 

An  abridgment  of  this  work,  called  the  "  School  Philosophy,"  was  published  in 
1832,  for  the  use  of  high  schools  and  academies,  and  passed  through  more  than  a 
hundred  editions  during  the  life-time  of  the  author.  A  still  smaller  work,  entitled 
"Rudiments  of  Natural  Philosophy  and  Astronomy,"  was  issued  in  1842,  for  use  in 
elementary  schools.  It  had  gone  through  more  than  fifty  editions  before  the  author's 
death,  and,  on  account  of  its  clearness  and  compactness,  it  was  adopted  as  a  text-book 
for  use  in  institutions  of  the  blind,  an  edition  for  this  purpose  having  been  printed  in 
raised  letters,  in  large  quarto  form,  as  early  as  1845. 

Professor  Olmsted's  text-book  of  astronomy,  published  in  1839,  in  one  volume 
octavo,  was  more  elaborately  prepared  than  his  "  Philosophy,"  and  proved  equally 
successful  as  meeting  a  recognized  want  among  the  teachers  of  that  science.  An 
abridgment  for  schools  was  published  soon  after  the  original  work.  The  "  Letters  to 
a  Lady  on  Astronomy,"  was  a  book  prepared  by  Professor  Olmsted  as  a  reading-book, 
at  the  request  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Education,  and  published  in  duodecimo 
in  1842,  as  one  of  the  volumes  of  the  Massachusetts  School  Library. 

Besides  instructing  in  astronomy  by  text-book,  Professor  Olmsted,  during  the  last 
twenty-five  years  of  his  life,  delivered  annually  to  the  two  upper  classes  in  college 
three  courses  of  lectures :  one  on  natural  philosophy,  with  experiments,  to  those  who 
were  studying  at  the  same  time  part  second  of  his  text-book ;  another  on  astronomy, 
partly  historical  and  partly  supplementary  to  his  treatise ;  and  the  third  on  meteor- 
ology, descriptive  and  theoretical.  These  courses  were  all  carefully  elaborated,  full, 
clear,  and  often  eloquent ;  but  that  on  meteorology  was  the  one,  probably,  on  which  he 
bestowed  the  most  thought,  which  he  took  the  greatest  pains  to  improve  by  frequent 
revision  as  well  as  the  addition  of  fresh  matter,  and  which  was  regarded  by  those  who 
attended  it  as,  on  the  whole,  the  most  attractive  and  useful. 

But  Professor  Olmsted's  influence  as  an  educator  was  not  confined  to  the  college. 
The  philosophy  of  education  interested  him,  and  he  gave  much  attention  to  theories 
of  teaching,  and  the  principles  which  should  govern  the  successful  instructor.  He  was 
anxious  to  elevate  teaching  above  dry,  mechanical  routine,  and  make  it  a  means  not 
only  of  imparting  a  certain  measure  of  knowledge,  but  also  of  developing  and  training 
in  the  best  manner  the  faculties  of  both  mind  and  heart.  He  was  especially  anxious  to 
raise  the  qualifications  of  the  teachers  in  the  public  schools.  The  deficiencies  of  these 
schools  had  early  impressed  him,  probably  from  his  own  experience  and  observation  in 
boyhood  ;   and  accordingly,  as  early  as  18 16,  in  the  oration  which  he  delivered  at  Com- 


PROFESSOR   DENISON  OLMSTED. 


237 


mencement,  on  taking  his  master's  degree,  he  chose  for  his  subject,  "  The  state  of 
education  in  Connecticut,"  and  on  this  occasion  first  suggested  the  establishment  by 
the  State  of  what  he  termed  "seminaries  for  schoolmasters," — an  idea  which  has  since 
been  so  fully  realized  in  our  State  Normal  Schools.  The  importance  of  such  schools 
for  teachers  he  afterwards  frequently  urged,  as  in  a  lecture  before  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Instruction,  in  1838,  on  the  school  system  of  Connecticut,  and  also  in  the 
Report  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Common  Schools,  in  1840,  of  which  body  he 
was  for  several  years  a  member,  and  whose  report  for  that  year  was  from  his  pen.  In 
another  address,  in  1845,  before  the  same  Institute,  he  drew  the  Ideal  of  a  Perfect 
Teacher,  and  laid  down  what  he  regarded  as  indispensable  elements  in  the  character  of 
a  teacher  of  the  people.  As  summed  up  in  a  single  sentence  by  Dr.  Henry  Barnard, 
in  a  published  tribute  to  his  memory,  they  are  these :  "  Thorough,  accurate,  and  com- 
prehensive knowledge,  high  religious  character,  deep  enthusiastic  love  of  his  work  and 
faith  in  its  results,  a  strong  and  clear  intellect,  a  lively  imagination,  good  taste,  and 
good  manners;"  qualities,  it  may  be  added,  which  Professor  Olmsted  himself  exhibited 
in  his  own  character  in  happy  combination.  Professor  Olmsted  always  responded  with 
readiness  to  the  numerous  invitations  received  by  him  to  address  teachers'  institutes 
and  teachers'  associations,  and  he  also  lectured  repeatedly  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  during  the  session  of  the  legislature,  when  any  action  was  to  be  had 
in  either  branch  concerning  common  schools.  In  a  word,  he  warmly  sympathized, 
from  first  to  last,  with  all  those  who  had  at  heart  the  improvement  of  the  schools  of  the 
State,  and  labored  himself  most  assiduously  for  this  object  whenever  he  found  opportu- 
nity. It  was  the  same  desire  to  promote  in  every  way  the  education  of  the  people, 
that  led  him,  in  1828,  to  aid  by  his  advice  and  co-operation  the  enlightened  and 
benevolent  plan  of  Mr.  James  Brewster  for  bringing  science  within  the  reach  of  the 
masses  by  establishing  in  New  Haven  the  Franklin  Institute  for  evening  courses  of 
teaching  and  lectures. 

But  while  thus  active  as  a  teacher,  Professor  Olmsted  was  not  neglectful  of  science. 
He  was  always  intent  on  doing,  in  the  way  of  original  investigation,  all  that  his  time 
and  circumstances  would  allow.  While  a  professor  in  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina, his  occasional  notes  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and  in  the  local  papers, 
showed  that  he  was  not  inactive  in  his  laboratory.  But  his  great  undertaking  at  that 
period,  and  one  which  really  seems  almost  Quixotic  for  its  singular  boldness,  was  that 
of  a  survey  of  the  geology  and  mineral  resources  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina.  This 
he  proposed  to  do  personally  and  unassisted,  as  vacation  pastime,  and  without  compen- 
sation. He  did,  indeed,  suggest  to  the  State  Board  of  Internal  Improvements,  before 
whom  he  first  laid  the  project  in  182 1,  an  appropriation  of  one  hundred  dollars  to 
defray  his  necessary  traveling  expenses  for  a  year,  "to  be  afterwards  renewed  or  not 
at  the  pleasure  of  the  Board."  But  this  was  declined,  and  the  survey — the  first  of  the 
kind  ever  authorized  by  any  of  the  States — was  afterwards  made  under  the  direction 
of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture.  Professor  Olmsted's  report,  addressed  to  this 
Board,  was  published  in  two  parts  in  1824  and  1825,  and  filled,  in  all,  about  140  pages 
octavo — so  humble  and  unpretending  was  this  early  prototype  of  the  hundreds  of  pon- 


238  VALE  COLLEGE. 

derous  volumes  of  scientific  research  which  have  since  been  published  by  so  many  of 
the  States,  and  at  so  large  an  expenditure  of  money  and  labor.  This  survey,  regarded 
especially  as  the  gratuitous  vacation-work  of  a  single  individual,  and  in  view  of  the 
state  of  geological  science  in  the  country  at  the  time,  must  certainly  be  looked  upon  as 
creditable  in  the  highest  degree  both  to  the  enterprise  and  the  scientific  spirit  and 
ability  of  its  projector,  and  it  has  undoubtedly  resulted  in  great  benefit  not  only  to  the 
State  which  authorized  it,  but  to  the  whole  country  and  to  science  generally  by  the 
stimulus  which  it  afforded  to  similar  enterprises  in  other  States. 

While  at  Chapel  Hill,  Professor  Olmsted  began  researches  to  determine  the  practi- 
cability of  obtaining  illuminating  gas  from  cotton-seed — a  waste  material  so  abundant 
in  cotton-growing  districts  as  to  be  an  important  product  of  agriculture  if  capable  of 
being  put  to  any  valuable  use.  But  these  researches  were  broken  off,  as  well  as  his 
further  cultivation  of  chemistry  and  geology,  by  his  transfer  to  New  Haven. 

In  his  new  department  of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy,  notwithstanding  the 
disadvantages  under  which  he  labored,  he  exhibited  at  once  his  characteristic  industry 
and  energy,  and  over  and  above  the  heavy  work  which  he  performed  in  the  way  of 
instruction,  preparation  of  text-books,  and  general  college  duties,  he  found  time  to  do 
something  from  year  to  year  for  science  itself.  In  discussing  points  of  natural  philoso- 
phy he  early  began  to  theorize  for  himself,  and  to  advance  on  several  topics  views 
more  or  less  his  own.  Some  of  these  have  stood  the  test  of  later  investigation,  at 
least  in  the  main,  and  become  generally  accepted  among  men  of  science.  Others,  if 
not  yet  verified,  cannot  be  said  to  have  been  destitute  of  plausibility  as  speculations, 
and  pertain  to  topics  on  which  generally  accepted  conclusions  have  not  even  yet  been 
reached. 

Of  the  first  class  may  be  named  his  paper  published  in  the  Journal  of  Science,  in 
1830,  "On  the  Origin  of  Hail-storms,"  in  which,  in  opposition  to  the  electrical  theories 
then  in  vogue,  he  referred  the  origin  of  hail  chiefly  to  the  sudden  and  violent  mingling 
of  hot  and  humid  air  from  the  lower  regions  of  the  atmosphere  with  the  intensely  cold 
air  of  the  upper  regions ;  the  electrical  phenomena  usually  observed  being  a  con- 
comitant rather  than  a  cause.  Though  no  theory  of  these  storms  has  yet,  in  every 
feature,  been  generally  accepted  by  physicists,  the  one  maintained  by  Professor  Olm- 
sted is  in  substantial  agreement  with  the  latest  and  most  satisfactory  explanations 
of  what  Pouillet  long  ago  characterized  as  among  the  most  formidable  scourges  of 
agriculture,  and  the  most  perplexing  of  phenomena  to  meteorologists. 

In  the  same  class,  also,  of  hypotheses  substantially  confirmed,  may,  perhaps,  be 
reckoned  Mr.  William  C.  Redfield's  theory  of  the  great  storms  of  the  Atlantic  coast. 
For  although  this  did  not  originate  with  Professor  Olmsted,  it  was  yet  so  largely 
indebted  to  him  in  many  ways,  and  especially  for  his  zealous  advocacy  of  it,  as  fairly 
to  be  entitled  to  mention  in  connection  with  Professor  Olmsted's  services  to  science. 
Such  was  the  modesty  of  Mr.  Redfield  that  he  did  not  publish  his  discoveries  con- 
cerning the  laws  of  storms  until,  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  Professor  Olmsted,  he 
brought  them  out  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  in  1831,  some  ten  years  after  he 
began  his   investigations.     The   theory,  in  its  main   features,  was  early  espoused  by 


PROFESSOR    DENISON   OLMSTED.  239 

Professor  Olmsted,  and  by  his  encouragement  of  its  author  as  well  as  by  his  discussion 
of  the  facts  and  principles  involved  in  it,  he  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  secure 
its  general  acceptance  as  a  sound  meteorological  theory.  For  although  Mr.  Redfield's 
leading  idea  of  the  rotatory  character  of  these  storms  was  long  regarded  generally  as 
antagonistic  to  Espy's  radial  vortex  theory,  it  may  be  said  that  more  mature  investiga- 
tion, as  is  often  the  case  in  respect  to  seemingly  inconsistent  views,  has  shown  them  to 
be  both  true  in  their  main  points,  and  that  neither  necessarily  excludes  the  other,  but 
rather  that  the  true  theory  is  found  in  a  combination  of  both. 

Among  hypotheses  of  the  other  class  alluded  to — those  which  subsequent  investiga- 
tion has  failed  to  verify,  or  relating  to  phenomena  the  true  theory  of  which  is  still 
unknown — may  be  cited  Professor  Olmsted's  views  respecting  the  origin  of  the  aurora 
borealis  and  of  the  zodiacal  light.  Rejecting  all  electrical  hypotheses  of  the  aurora, 
he  held  that  it  originated  in  some  unknown  cosmical  source — some  sort  of  nebulous  or 
vaporous  matter  with  which  the  earth,  in  its  motion  around  the  sun,  came  periodically 
into  close  proximity.  The  zodiacal  light,  also,  he  was  inclined  to  attribute  to  substan- 
tially the  same,  or  a  similar,  cause.  Science  has  not  yet  been  able  to  explain  quite 
satisfactorily  either  of  these  phenomena.  Yet  the  tendency  of  discovery,  in  the  case 
of  the  zodiacal  light,  has  been  towards  an  explanation  somewhat  related  to  that  of 
Professor  Olmsted,  viz.,  some  sort  of  nebulous  or  meteoric  matter  moving  around  the 
sun  within  the  orbit  of  the  earth.  In  respect  to  auroras,  however,  the  drift  of  later 
theory  has  been  quite  the  other  way,  and  towards  the  older  electrical  or  electro- 
magnetic hypothesis.  But  whatever  may  be  thought  of  his  speculations  as  to  the 
origin  of  auroras,  Professor  Olmsted  certainly  did  excellent  service  for  this  branch  of 
science  in  general,  both  by  carefully  observing  the  phenomena  himself  and  by  col- 
lecting diligently  and  carefully  discussing  the  observations  of  others.  This  he  did 
in  various  papers  printed  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science,  and  especially  in  an 
extended  and  elaborate  memoir  "  On  the  Secular  Periodicity  of  the  Aurora  Borealis," 
published  in  the  eighth  volume  of  the  "  Smithsonian  Contributions."  In  this  memoir 
he  recognizes  and  maintains  the  fact  of  such  periodicity,  and  although  he  may  not 
have  succeeded  in  determining  from  the  data  within  his  reach  the  true  length  of  the 
period,  he  nevertheless  deserves  credit  for  being  among  the  first  to  undertake  a  sys- 
tematic discussion  of  the  phenomena  with  a  view  to  such  determination,  and  for  the 
stimulus  and  assistance  thus  given  to  the  investigations  of  others. 

With  respect  to  shooting-stars,  Professor  Olmsted  was  more  fortunate.  His  suc- 
cessful studies  of  these  bodies,  indeed,  and  the  reputation  he  acquired  for  the  part  he 
took  in  establishing  the  cosmical  theory  of  their  origin,  doubtless  tended  to  entice  him 
into  his  somewhat  analogous  cosmical  hypotheses  respecting  auroras  and  the  zodiacal 
light.  But  it  was  in  the  case  of  the  shooting-stars  alone  that  subsequent  discovery 
confirmed  the  theory  and  gained  him  repute. 

His  interest  in  these  bodies  was  first  excited  by  the  wonderful  display  of  November 
13th,  1833,  the  later  portion  of  which,  from  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  on  to  broad 
daylight,  he  was  himself  so  fortunate  as  to  observe.  A  conviction  of  the  cosmical 
character  of  the  phenomenon  at  once  forced  itself  upon  him,  as  it  did,  also,  and  even 


240  VALE  COLLEGE. 

more  promptly,  perhaps,  upon  his  friend  and  correspondent  Professor  A.  C.  Twining, 
who  observed  the  meteors  at  West  Point.  These  two  gentlemen  appear  to  have  been 
the  first  to  state  at  all  definitely  the  cosmical  theory,  and  establish  it  by  satisfactory 
proofs.  It  was  in  Professor  Olmsted's  papers  on  this  subject,  particularly  in  the 
extended  article  published  in  the  Journal  of  Science,  in  the  July  following  the  shower, 
that  the  principal  observations  made  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States  were  first 
carefully  collected  and  discussed,  and  the  cosmical  theory  outlined  in  distinct  terms. 
At  the  close  of  this  paper  he  stated  it  as  his  general  conclusion,  "  that  the  meteors  of 
November  13th  consisted  of  portions  of  the  extreme  parts  of  a  nebulous  body  which 
revolves  around  the  sun  in  an  orbit  interior  to  that  of  the  earth,  but  little  inclined  to 
the  ecliptic,  having  its  aphelion  near  the  earth's  path,  and  having  a  periodic  time  of 
one  hundred  and  eighty-two  days  nearly."  This  statement,  it  will  be  noticed,  fully 
recognized  the  cosmical  origin  of  shooting-stars,  referring  them  to  some  mass  or  train 
of  such  bodies  moving  around  the  sun  in  an  orbit  which  the  earth  traverses  in  its 
annual  course,  although  the  character  of  the  "nebulous  body"  is,  apparently,  not  very 
clearly  conceived,  and  the  orbit  designated  is  quite  different  from  that  which  has  since 
been  conclusively  established.  The  exact  credit  due  to  Professor  Olmsted  in  connec- 
tion with  the  theory  of  star-showers  it  is  difficult  to  state,  for  lack  of  evidence.  Cer- 
tainly no  just  representation  of  the  case  can  be  made  without  also  defining  the  relation 
of  Professor  Twining  to  the  same  theory,  for  they  were  both  intimately  connected  with 
the  first  development  of  it.  They  both  observed  the  display  of  November  13th,  both 
took  up  the  discussion  of  the  observations  with  the  utmost  zeal,  and  corresponded  with 
each  other  on  the  subject.  They  both  noticed  the  fact  that  the  radiant,  or  point  at 
which  the  apparent  paths  of  the  meteors  would  meet  if  traced  backward  on  the  sky,  did 
not  partake  of  the  earth's  motion  of  rotation,  but  was  fixed  with  reference  to  the  stars, 
and  recognized  at  once  the  proper  interpretation  of  this  fact :  the  meteors  must  come 
from  beyond  the  atmosphere — must  have  a  cosmical,  not  a  terrestrial,  origin.  And  Pro- 
fessor Twining  pointed  out  the  further  fact  that  the  position  of  the  radiant  was  in  that 
part  of  the  heavens,  approximately,  towards  which  the  earth,  in  its  orbit,  was  at  the  time 
moving.  This  circumstance  is,  indeed,  by  no  means  a  necessary  one,  since  the  radiant 
in  different  cases  may,  as  we  now  know,  be  situated  in  any  part  of  the  heavens  what- 
ever, its  direction  being  the  resultant  of  the  real  motions  both  of  the  earth  and  of  the 
meteors  in  their  orbit ;  yet,  in  the  case  in  question,  the  recognition  of  the  coincidence 
essentially  helped,  doubtless,  towards  a  substantially  correct  conclusion  as  to  the  gen- 
eral character  of  the  phenomenon.  Professor  Twining  did  not,  indeed,  fix  upon  a  defi- 
nite orbit  for  the  meteoric  stream,  as  did  Professor  Olmsted.  The  first  data,  in  fact, 
were  entirely  too  scanty  for  this  purpose.  It  was  not  until  thirty  years  later  that  the 
labors  of  Professor  Newton  in  this  country,  and  of  Professor  Adams  and  others  abroad, 
made  it  possible  to  designate  the  precise  orbit  of  the  November  stream,  and  to  identify 
it  with  that  of  a  comet  having  a  period  of  thirty-three  and  a  quarter  years.  But  the 
necessary  astronomical  relations  of  these  bodies,  as  indicated  by  the  facts  respecting 
the  radiant,  were  stated  by  Professor  Twining  almost  as  definitely  and  accurately  in  a 
letter  written  but  two  months  after  the  shower,  as  if  the  statement  had  been  penned  in 


PROFESSOR   DENISON  OLMSTED.  24 1 

the  light  of  our  present  knowledge.  But  though  Professor  Olmsted  must,  apparently, 
divide  with  Professor  Twining,  in  some  proportion,  the  credit  of  first  recognizing  and 
establishing  the  essentially  true  theory  of  meteoric  showers,  he  cannot  well  be  deprived 
of  that  credit  by  the  claims  of  others,  and  especially  of  European  philosophers,  since 
the  very  facts  on  which  alone  such  claims  could  be  based — as  in  the  case  of  Encke,  to 
whom  Humboldt  assigns  the  credit  of  discovering  the  coincidence  of  the  radiant  with 
the  direction  of  the  earth's  motion,  and  its  astronomical  significance — were  originally 
gathered  and  published  by  Professors  Olmsted  and  Twining,  who,  in  connection  with 
the  facts,  also  published  in  substance  their  theoretical  views.  The  facts  once  pub- 
lished, they  were  of  course  discussed  by  many  philosophers,  and  similar  results  were 
almost  necessarily  reached.  But,  as  we  apprehend  the  matter,  the  credit  of  establish- 
ing and  interpreting  the  two  main  facts  on  which  the  cosmical  theory  of  meteors 
primarily  rests,  namely,  the  sidereal  fixedness  of  the  radiant,  and  its  position  with 
respect  to  the  earth's  orbital  motion,  is  due  to  the  joint  investigations  of  Professors 
Olmsted  and  Twining.  The  merits  of  Professor  Olmsted  in  this  connection  have  been 
recognized  more  or  less  fully  by  leading  European  philosophers,  who  had  been  led  to 
adopt  substantially  the  same  views ;  such  as  Humboldt,  Biot,  Olbers,  Encke,  and 
others. 

Chladni's  ill-defined  claims  can  hardly  be  put  in  competition  with  those  of  Professor 
Olmsted,  inasmuch  as  his  cosmical  theory  of  meteors  related  especially  to  aerolites 
and  their  associated  fire-balls  rather  than  to  star-showers,  the  two  classes  of  phe- 
nomena having  been  regarded  in  his  day  as  entirely  distinct  from  each  other.  And 
besides,  the  cosmical  origin  of  aerolites  had  been  suggested  in  general  terms,  though 
without  adequate  proof  or  theoretical  explanation,  by  many  preceding  philosophers, 
even  as  far  back  as  Anaxagoras.  It  is  certainly  very  much  more  natural  to  imagine 
that  a  mass  of  stone  or  iron  seen  to  fall  from  the  sky  had  come  from  beyond  the 
atmosphere,  and  been  sent  down  from  heaven,  like  the  Palladium  of  Troy  or  the  holy 
Kaaba  of  Mecca,  than  that  the  evanescent  flying  sparks  called  shooting-stars,  which 
suddenly  flash  forth  apparently  close  to  us  and  shoot  swiftly  out  of  sight,  are  really 
bodies  moving  in  vast  orbits  around  the  sun,  and  occupying  scores  or  hundreds  of 
years  in  completing  their  circuits.  It  required  the  discovery  of  a  distinct  radiant  and 
of  its  astronomical  relations  before  the  true  theory  would  be  likely  to  occur  to  even  the 
acutest  philosopher.  The  discovery  once  made,  it  is  seen  to  be,  like  great  discoveries 
so  often,  extremely  simple  in  outline,  and  the  world  is  surprised  that  no  one  had  hit 
upon  it  sooner. 

Professor  Olmsted's  love  of  astronomy  led  him  to  feel  deeply  the  want  of  an  astro- 
nomical observatory  in  connection  with  the  college — of  one  sufficient  for  purposes  of 
instruction  at  least,  if  not  of  investigation.  This  want  was  partially  met,  in  1830,  by 
the  excellent  refractor  of  ten  feet  focal  length  and  five  inches  aperture,  by  Dollond,  the 
gift  of  Mr.  Sheldon  Clark,  and  for  many  years  the  finest  telescope  in  the  country. 
Professor  Olmsted  had  the  satisfaction  of  observing  with  it,  in  connection  with  Mr. 
Loomis  (now  his  successor),  Halley's  celebrated  comet,  at  its  predicted  return,  in  1835, 
some  weeks  before  news  arrived  of  its  having  been  seen  in  Europe.     But  this  telescope 

VOL.   I. ^1 


24- 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


was  comparatively  useless  on  account  of  its  peculiar  mounting-,  and  the  very  unsuitable 
place  in  which  it  was  set  up ;  and  all  efforts  made  from  time  to  time  by  Professor 
Olmsted  and  others  towards  the  establishment  of  an  observatory  suitable  for  research 
as  well  as  instruction,  proved  fruitless  of  immediate  results.  The  college  was  too  poor 
to  provide  the  necessary  funds,  and  sufficient  outside  interest  could  not  then  be  awak- 
ened. It  is  only  lately  that  the  provision,  which  Professor  Olmsted  so  earnestly 
desired,  for  the  establishment  ultimately  of  a  first-class  observatory  in  New  Haven,  has 
been  made  by  the  Hon.  O.  F.  Winchester,  in  the  munificent  gift  of  a  very  valuable 
tract  of  land  in  the  suburbs,  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  which  will,  it  is  expected,  in 
due  time  yield  an  ample  fund  for  the  maintenance  of  such  an  institution. 

While  Professor  Olmsted  was  thus  successful  as  a  teacher  and  cultivator  of  science, 
he  was  also,  as  a  man  and  a  citizen,  just  what  was  to  have  been  expected  of  one  so 
even  in  temper,  so  friendly  in  disposition,  so  well  balanced  in  all  his  faculties,  so  philan- 
thropic and  public  spirited  both  by  nature  and  principle,  and  withal  so  irreproachable 
in  character  and  consistently  Christian  in  the  whole  tenor  of  his  life ;  a  man  not  spot- 
less indeed,  nor  faultless,  for  he  was  but  a  man,  yet  one  whose  spots  and  faults  came 
seldom  to  the  surface,  and  if  ever  apparent  were  little  noticed  and  readily  forgotten. 
President  Woolsey,  who  was  intimately  associated  with  him  for  twenty-eight  years  in 
the  government  of  the  college,  says  of  him,  in  effect,  that  he  never  on  any  occasion, 
however  trying,  saw  him  irritated,  or  uncourteous,  or  unmindful  of  what  was  due  to 
others  ;  in  short,  that  if  he  ever  had  unlovely  feelings  he  never  exhibited  them.  He 
was  unselfish  in  disposition,  and  always  ready  to  engage  in  services  that  promised  in 
any  way  to  benefit  his  fellow-men.  He  had  a  warm  heart,  was  constant  in  his  friend- 
ships, and  as  a  consequence  was  highly  respected  and  beloved  by  his  colleagues,  as 
well  as  by  all  who  became  intimately  acquainted  with  him.  He  was,  in  fine,  a  fair 
example  of  an  educated  New-Englander,  having  inherited  from  his  parents,  who  traced 
their  Connecticut  ancestry  to  the  first  settlement  of  the  State,  an  amiable  disposition, 
and  excellent  natural  abilities ;  and  having  received  from  the  social  influences  of  the 
characteristic  New-England  life  around  him,  and  especially  from  the  training  of  his 
excellent  mother,  of  whom  he  always  spoke  with  tenderest  reverence,  that  moulding  of 
mind  and  heart  which,  with  his  academic  culture,  made  him  a  man  of  refined  tastes,  of 
settled  convictions,  of  untiring  industry  and  perseverance,  in  short,  of  such  traits  of 
character  as  did  credit  to  his  New  England  origin,  and  secured  for  him  the  measure  of 
usefulness,  success,  and  reputation  that  fell  to  him  in  life. 

His  native  place  was  East  Hartford,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  born  June  18,  1791. 
His  father,  Nathaniel  Olmsted,  a  well-to-do  farmer,  was  a  descendant  of  James  Olm- 
sted, who  was  among  the  first  settlers  of  the  State,  and  died  some  four  years  after  the 
planting  of  Hartford.  His  mother  became  a  widow  when  he  was  a  year  old,  and  on 
her  marrying  again  and  removing  to  Farmington,  he  was  taken  with  her  to  that  place 
when  at  the  age  of  nine.  It  was  here,  as  we  have  before  mentioned,  that  he  attended 
school  for  a  time,  and  had  his  home  temporarily  in  the  family  of  Governor  Treadwell, 
by  whose  son  he  was  afterwards  employed  in  a  store,  first  in  Farmington  and  then  in 
a  neighboring  town,  until  he  made  up  his  mind  to  go  to  college.     In  these  early  years 


PROFESSOR   DENISON  OLMSTED  243 

he  was  particularly  fortunate,  not  only  in  the  example  and  wise  counsel  of  Governor 
Treadwell,  but  still  more  in  those  of  his  mother.  Her  influence  over  him  was  most 
happy.  She  was  a  woman  of  the  highest  excellence,  and  he  felt  that  to  her  religious 
training  and  her  high  principle  and  wisdom  he  owed  a  debt  which  could  not  be  repaid. 
"  Never  had  son,"  wrote  the  Rev.  Dr.  Porter  of  him,  "  a  more  profound  reverence  or  a 
tenderer  affection  for  his  mother  than  he  for  his ;  and  her  character  seems  to  have 
been  his  pattern." 

In  his  domestic  relations,  Professor  Olmsted  is  described  by  those  who  knew  him 
best  as  in  all  respects  most  exemplary.  His  first  wife,  Miss  Allyn,  with  whom  he 
became  acquainted  while  teaching  in  New  London,  died  in  1829,  leaving  five  sons  and 
one  daughter.  His  second  wife,  Miss  Mason,  of  New  York,  a  lady  of  superior  culture 
and  great  excellence  of  character,  made  his  home  a  happy  one,  and  for  many  years 
that  happiness  was  unbroken.  But  at  length  the  clouds  of  affliction  gathered,  and 
many  and  heavy  sorrows  tried  severely  his  Christian  fortitude.  Four  of  his  sons, 
after  graduating  from  college,  and  giving  good  promise  of  future  usefulness,  were  in  a 
few  years  taken  away  by  consumption;  the  eldest  in  1844,  two  others  in  1846,  in 
which  year  also  died  his  excellent  mother  at  the  age  of  ninety,  and  the  fourth  in 
1853.  The  last  two,  Denison  and  Alexander  Fisher,  had  taken  oration  rank  in  col- 
lege, and  gave  special  promise  of  distinction  as  men  of  science.  Of  the  whole  family 
of  five  sons  and  two  daughters  only  the  daughters  and  one  son  survived  him,  and 
only  the  youngest  daughter  and  her  mother  are  now  living. 

Of  his  Christian  character,  first  consciously  entered  upon  while  living  in  New  Lon- 
don, and  apparently  continually  strengthening  under  his  repeated  trials,  his  colleague 
President  Woolsey,  whom  we  have  before  quoted,  says :  "  He  was  ever,  so  far  as  I  am 
able  to  judge,  a  consistent  exemplary  Christian  ;  one  who  did  his  duties  as  in  sight 
of  God  and  under  the  power  of  the  motives  which  the  Christian  system  furnishes ;  one 
who  was  habitually,  and  not  now  and  then,  a  Christian  ;  one  who  made  religion  a  com- 
panion of  his  joys  and  sorrows — mingled  it  with  all  his  pursuits ;  who  was  not  simply 
a  philosopher  and  a  Christian,  but  a  Christian  philosopher ;  one  who  was  fitted  by  it  for 
the  discharge  of  his  earthly  relations,  was  bettered  by  it,  was  sustained  by  it  in  sor- 
rows, met  pain  and  death  with  composure  and  resignation  through  the  strength  which 
it  imparted.  He  was  one  who  felt  a  warm  interest  in  the  progress  of  true  religion, 
both  at  home  and  elsewhere ;  who  rejoiced  especially  whenever  in  college,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  any  of  the  students  seemed  to  become  thoughtful,  penitent,  and  devout ; 
one  who  took  occasion  to  bear  testimony  for  God  before  his  pupils,  in  the  lecture-room 
and  elsewhere,  and  whose  voice  was  heard  in  counsel  and  prayer  at  the  meetings  of 
the  church.  He  was  one  whose  self-control  sprang,  as  we  believe,  from  religious  prin- 
ciple, and  who,  living  habitually  in  the  fear  of  God,  sought  to  correct  the  evil  in  him- 
self and  opposed  temptation  by  a  reference  to  the  Divine  will.  He  was  one,  finally, 
who  brought  religion  into  the  family,  trained  up  his  children  by  the  Bible — wished 
their  spiritual  prosperity  more  than  any  other  good  which  could  pertain  to  them." 

This  sketch  has  already  exceeded  the  space  it  was  intended  to  occupy  in  this  work, 
and  yet  many  points  of  interest  still  remain  which  have  been  only  incidentally  alluded 


244 


YALE  COLLEGE. 


to  or  not  touched  upon  at  all.  Among  these  are  his  taste  for  literature  and  the  fine 
arts,  his  enjoyment  of  flowers  and  horticulture,  his  social  and  domestic  life,  and  his 
influence  in  developing  the  taste  and  shaping  the  career  of  his  pupils,  especially  of 
those  possessing  a  natural  aptitude  for  astronomy  and  physics.  This  article  must  con- 
clude, however,  with  a  few  paragraphs  on  only  two  of  these  points,  namely,  his  literary 
work  apart  from  his  scientific,  and  especially  his  relations  to  a  few  of  his  pupils  who 
have  attained  distinction  as  men  of  science. 

As  a  writer  he  was  master  of  a  clear  and  flowing  style,  and  he  published  many  valu- 
able literary  articles  in  the  quarterlies  and  other  periodicals.  Among  these  were  a 
number  of  interesting  biographical  memoirs,  the  principal  of  which  are  those  of  Presi- 
dent Dwight,  Eli  Whitney,  Governor  Treadwell,  Professor  A.  M.  Fisher,  Hon.  Roger 
Sherman,  William  C.  Redfield,  and  E.  P.  Mason — the  latter  in  a  duodecimo  volume. 
Among  his  more  important  reviews  may  be  named  those  of  Dick's  "  Christian  Philoso- 
pher;" of  Sir  Humphry  Davy's  "Salmonia;"  of  Davy's  "Scientific  Labors;"  of  Sir 
John  Herschel's  "Observations  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope;"  of  Silliman's  "Travels  in 
Europe;"  and  of  "The  Plurality  of  Worlds."  Other  valuable  articles  were  entitled, 
"The  Ideal  of  a  Perfect  Teacher;"  "Thoughts  on  Leverrier's  Planet;"  "Revelations 
of  the  Microscope ;"  "Riches  of  the  Natural  World;"  "  The  World  made  for  Man;" 
"Democratic  Tendencies  of  Science;"  "The  Gift  of  Teaching;"  on  the  "American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science;"  "Analysis  of  the  Character  of  President 
Dwight  as  a  Teacher;"  "The  Divine  Love  of  Truth  and  Beauty;"  and  "The  Meteor- 
ology of  Palestine."  The  last  two  were  published  during  the  last  year  of  his  life. 
Many  of  these  articles  appeared  in  the  pages  of  the  New-Englander.  He  also  pub- 
lished many  articles  on  scientific  subjects,  in  addition  to  those  already  particularized  in 
this  sketch,  such  as:  "A  Catalogue  of  the  Minerals  of  North  Carolina;"  on  "The 
Preparation  of  Mortar;"  on  "The  Gold  Mines  of  North  Carolina;"  on  "The  Present 
State  of  Chemical  Science;"  on  "The  Use  of  Anthracite  Coal;"  on  "The  New  Haven 
Tornado  of  1839;"  on  "Protection  from  Lightning;"  on  "Some  Points  of  Electrical 
Theory;"  on  "The  Zodiacal  Light;"  and  on  "Maury's  Wind  and  Current  Charts." 

It  remains  to  notice  briefly  the  influence  of  Professor  Olmsted  on  the  scientific  career 
of  his  pupils.  How  far  those  of  them  who  became  distinguished  as  astronomers  or 
physicists  owed  their  interest  in  these  sciences  to  his  encouragement,  it  is  of  course 
impossible  to  say  definitely.  As  a  rule  it  is  probable  that  the  influence  of  individual 
instructors  in  this  particular  is  much  less  than  is  commonly  supposed,  especially  in  the 
case  of  pupils  of  decided  genius.  The  great  philosopher  is  doubtless  no  less  born  such 
than  the  great  poet.  Genius  for  a  specialty  is  quite  likely  to  take  its  course,  little 
influenced  by  other  minds.  A  universal  genius,  however — a  strong  intellect  equally 
capable  of  distinguishing  itself  in  any  direction,  but  with  no  decided  bias — may  doubt- 
less often  be  turned  into  a  special  channel  by  the  influence  of  a  favorite  teacher.  And 
the  same  is  true  in  general  of  ordinary  intellects,  if  well  balanced.  Slight  causes  may 
give  them  a  bent,  and  concentrated  zeal  and  industry  may  be  the  full  equivalent  of 
genius  in  securing  for  them  success  and  eminence.  While  the  cases  are  few  in  which 
any  direct  or  marked  influence  of  Professor  Olmsted  on  his  pupils  can  be  definitely 


PROFESSOR   DENISON  OLMSTED.  245 

traced,  there  are  many,  it  is  believed,  in  which  he  was  instrumental  in  confirming  and 
strengthening  a  predilection  for  science  already  existing,  although  he  may  have  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  original  bias. 

Among  those  of  Professor  Olmsted's  pupils  who  enjoyed  his  friendship,  and  on 
whom  he  is  known  or  presumed  to  have  had  a  greater  or  less  influence,  the  following 
may  be  named : 

Elias  Loomis,  of  the  class  of  1830,  his  immediate  successor  in  the  chair  of  Natural 
Philosophy  and  Astronomy.      He  is  elsewhere  noticed  in  this  work. 

F.  A.  P.  Barnard,  of  the  same  class,  now  President  of  Columbia  College,  New  York. 

Ebenezer  Porter  Mason,  and  Hamilton  L.  Smith,  of  the  class  of  1839,  the  former  a 
most  remarkable  genius,  of  whom  more  will  be  said  further  on,  and  the  latter  his  inti- 
mate associate  and  scientific  co-worker  in  their  college  days,  and  now  Professor  of 
Astronomy  and  Physics  in  Hobart  College,  New  York. 

William  Chauvenet,  of  the  class  of  1840,  afterwards  Professor  of  Mathematics  and 
Astronomy  in  the  United  States  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  Maryland,  and  Chan- 
cellor of  Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  Missouri ;  an  eminent  mathematician,  and 
the  author  of  superior  treatises  on  trigonometry,  geometry,  and  other  branches,  and  of 
a  large  work  on  spherical  and  practical  astronomy,  quite  unsurpassed  by  any  treatise 
of  the  kind  in  any  language. 

Joseph  S.  Hubbard,  of  the  class  of  1843,  a  leading  astronomer  in  the  United  States 
Naval  Observatory  at  Washington  from  its  foundation,  in  1845,  to  ^e  time  °f  ^'ls 
death,  in  1863.  He  was  eminent  both  as  an  observer  and  computer,  as  well  as  for 
mathematical  ability  and  untiring  devotion  to  his  favorite  science.  A  native  of  New 
Haven,  and  intimate  with  Professor  Olmsted  both  in  college  and  afterwards,  he  always 
cherished  for  him  a  warm  affection,  and  heartily  co-operated  with  him  in  his  efforts  to 
promote  the  interests  of  astronomy  in  Yale  College,  particularly  in  his  plans  for  secur- 
ing the  establishment  of  an  observatory. 

The  remarkable  degree  of  astronomical  interest  which  prevailed  in  the  college 
between  1835  and  1840,  and  of  which  Mason  and  Smith  were  the  source  and  center, 
affected  many  of  the  students  and  some  outside  of  college,  who,  although  they  did  not 
engage  in  scientific  professions,  yet,  for  the  time,  became  zealous  and  skillful  observers, 
and  in  after  life,  though  absorbed  in  other  pursuits,  always  retained  their  interest 
in  this  science.  These  were  all  more  or  less  intimately  associated  with  Professor 
Olmsted,  enjoying  the  freedom  of  the  observatory,  receiving  his  encouragement  and 
aid,  and  co-operating  with  him  in  special  observations,  as  of  auroras  and  shooting- 
stars. 

Among  these  may  be  named  David  T.  Stoddard,  of  the  class  of  1838,  a  young  man 
of  rare  ability  and  character,  who,  catching  the  astronomical  enthusiasm  around  him, 
constructed  for  himself,  while  in  college,  a  fine  reflecting  telescope,  which,  with  his 
astronomical  acquisitions,  he  found  afterwards  of  the  greatest  service  to  him  in  his 
missionary  work  in  Persia,  where,  also,  he  made  observations  of  great  interest  touching 
the  power  of  the  unaided  eye  to  scrutinize  the  heavens  in  the  pure  atmosphere  of  that 
elevated  home  of  the  old  Chaldean  astronomy.     He  died  in  Persia,  in  1857. 


246  VALE  COLLEGE. 

Another  of  the  same  circle,  but  outside  of  college,  was  Francis  Bradley,  whom 
Nature  clearly  intended  for  an  astronomer,  instead  of  the  bank  cashier  that  he  was 
at  that  time.  He  shared  with  Mason  and  others  in  the  use  of  the  observatory, 
and  worked  with  them  in  the  construction  of  telescopes.  He  became  an  acute 
observer,  and  at  times  aided  Professor  Olmsted  in  the  practical  instruction  of  the 
students.  His  name  often  appears  in  the  Journal  of  Science  in  connection  with 
the  astronomical  and  meteoric  observations  of  the  day.  He  has  resided  for  many 
years  in  Chicago,  but  has  never  suffered  banking  or  other  business  to  prevent  his 
maintaining  a  small  private  observatory,  and  a  lively  interest  in  the  progress  of 
astronomy. 

Of  Mr.  Edward  C.  Herrick,  who  was  perhaps  more  intimately  associated  with  Pro- 
fessor Olmsted  in  scientific  matters  than  any  one  else,  unless  it  be  E.  P.  Mason,  it  is 
unnecessary  to  speak  here,  as  a  separate  notice  of  him  is  given  elsewhere  in  this 
work. 

Of  E.  P.  Mason,  already  named,  it  seems  proper  to  give  some  further  account,  both 
because  of  his  intimate  relations  with  Professor  Olmsted,  and  of  his  extraordinary 
genius.  Little  can  be  said  of  Mason,  however,  without  further  allusion  to  his  astro- 
nomical associate  and  most  intimate  friend  and  classmate,  H.  L.  Smith.  The  latter 
brought  with  him  to  college  a  telescope,  as  well  as  deep  love  of  astronomy  and  much 
mechanical  ingenuity.  He  and  Mason  were  early  brought  together  by  their  scientific 
tastes,  and  they  worked  together  through  all  their  college  course  in  the  construction 
of  telescopes,  and  in  various  experiments  and  observations  which  made  the  names  of 
both  familiar  in  all  college  circles  and  helped  awaken  the  enthusiasm  for  astronomy 
among  the  students  which  has  already  been  mentioned. 

E.  P.  Mason,  a  son  of  Rev.  Stephen  Mason,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church 
in  Washington,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  that  town,  December  7,  18 19.  He  early 
developed  extraordinary  mental  endowments — reading  everything — charmed  with 
poetry — astonishing  his  arithmetical  teachers  at  the  age  of  eight — absorbed  in  natural 
philosophy  and  in  Bacon's  "  Novum  Organum  "  at  nine — a  sober,  sensitive,  precocious 
child,  of  whom  a  loving  aunt  wrote  at  that  time  : 

"  A  boy  !  yet  in  his  eye  you  trace 

The  thoughtfulness  of  riper  years, 
And  tales  are  in  that  serious  face 
Of  feelings  early  steeped  in  tears." 

At  eleven  he  is  found  modestly  correcting  his  mathematical  teacher  in  Nantucket, 
whither  his  father  had  then  removed,  and  not  long  after  he  had  begun  to  write  respect- 
able verses,  for  such  a  child,  under  the  inspiration  of  that  unique  island  and  its  society. 
At  the  Ellington  school  in  Connecticut,  where  he  spent  a  year  or  more  in  preparation 
for  college,  he  displayed  marked  ability  in  poetical  translations  from  the  classics,  and 
in  all  his  studies.  Another  year  and  over  in  Nantucket,  as  scholar  and  assistant 
teacher,  brought  him  to  the  age  of  fifteen,  when  he  was  ready  to  enter  college.  Pre- 
vious to   this  period  he  had  written   several  creditable  poetical  effusions,  a  few  lines 


PROFESSOR  D  EMS  ON  OLMSTED. 


247 


from  one  of  which  on  the  Pleiades  will  serve  as  a  specimen  of  his  readiness  in  versifi- 
cation. 

"  'Twas  on  creation's  radiant  morn, 
We,  sisters,  to  existence  sprung, 
When  darkness  fled  and  light  was  born, 
And  chaos  far  away  was  flung. 


"We've  seen  the  mightiest  empires  fall, 
We've  seen  all  human  grandeur  fade, 
But  ah  !  the  change  that  withers  all 
On  us  his  powerful  hand  hath  laid. 

"  For  since  our  bright  harmonious  choir 
Have  seen  the  dawning  light  of  day, 
One  of  our  number  is  no  more, 

The  loveliest  one  hath  passed  away." 

He  entered  Yale  College  in  1835,  a  slender,  pale-faced,  physically  undeveloped 
boy,  not  yet  sixteen,  very  child-like  and  immature  in  appearance  and  manner,  yet 
able  to  astonish  his  examiner,  Professor  Olmsted,  by  his  adroitness  in  extracting  the 
cube  root  mentally,  as  well  as  by  other  proofs  of  extraordinary  mathematical  ability. 
That  examination,  and  the  eager  love  of  astronomy  which  the  boy  soon  exhibited, 
enlisted  deeply  Professor  Olmsted's  interest  and  friendship,  which  only  grew  stronger 
as  the  delicate  youth  more  than  fulfilled  in  his  college  course  the  high  promise  he  had 
given  on  entering. 

Young  Mason  was  truly  a  universal  genius.  His  mind  was  acute  and  fertile  in  all 
its  faculties.  In  whatever  direction  he  chose  to  exert  it  he  was  sure  of  success.  He 
was  capable  of  distinguishing  himself  either  as  poet,  philosopher,  mathematician, 
astronomer,  artist,  or  artisan.  He  early  took  high  stand  as  a  scholar  in  all  branches. 
He  enjoyed  the  classics.  He  was  an  elegant  writer  of  English.  His  mathematical 
and  scientific  studies  were  easily  and  thoroughly  mastered.  His  poetry  was  the  fruit, 
not  of  mere  skill  in  versification — a  mechanical  talent — but  of  this  power,  combined 
in  no  ordinary  degree  with  strength  of  imagination  and  delicacy  of  sentiment.  All 
that  he  wrote  in  this  line  was  but  the  pastime  of  boyhood,  yet  it  was  enough  to  prove 
his  possession  of  the  true  "faculty  divine."  In  college,  however,  he  soon  became 
absorbed  in  astronomical  pursuits,  which  occupied  a  large  portion  of  his  leisure  time. 
Professor  Olmsted,  in  his  appreciative  and  very  interesting  memoir  of  Mason,  pub- 
lished in  a  duodecimo  volume  soon  after  his  death,  has  given  in  detail  the  incidents  of 
his  short  life — incidents  mostly  of  his  quiet  college  career,  and  of  the  single  year 
following  it  before  his  death,  yet  of  very  great  interest  as  exhibiting  the  growth  of  so 
rare  and  gifted  an  intellect — an  intellect  far  too  restless  and  energetic  for  the  delicate 
frame  in  which  it  was  placed.  There  is  no  room  for  these  details  here.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  that  in  his  college  course,  besides  the  tasks  of  the  curriculum — enough  of  them- 


248  YALE  COLLEGE. 

selves,  if  faithfully  mastered,  to  absorb  the  time  and  attention  of  the  most  gifted — he 
performed  an  amount  of  work,  in  the  way  of  mechanical  labor,  celestial  observation, 
and  mathematical  calculation,  sufficient  to  make  the  reputation  of  a  professional  astron- 
omer. The  grinding  and  polishing  of  his  specula,  the  calculation  and  observation  of 
eclipses  and  occultations,  in  which  he  possessed  great  expertness ;  a  very  elaborate 
series  of  observations  on  certain  nebulae,  made  in  his  senior  year  with  a  twelve-inch 
reflector  of  Smith's,  in  the  construction  of  which  he  himself  had  assisted  ;  the  deline- 
ation, with  exquisite  accuracy  and  by  an  original  method,  of  the  details  of  these 
observations,  so  as  to  present  a  faithful  map  of  the  nebulae  to  the  eye,  together 
with  the  preparation  of  the  accompanying  memoir,  which  fills  fifty  quarto  pages  in 
the  "  American  Philosophical  Transactions,"  with  four  large  plates — these  labors,  and 
others  besides,  considered  as  the  amateur  work  of  an  undergraduate  student  in  deli- 
cate health,  and  without  detriment  to  his  general  scholarship,  certainly  imply  ability 
and  industry  of  no  ordinary  character ;  and  when  it  is  added  that  this  memoir  of 
Mason's  on  the  nebulas,  by  its  originality  of  method  and  intrinsic  value  as  a  contribu- 
tion to  science,  attracted  at  once  the  attention  of  European  astronomers,  and  especially 
elicited  the  admiration  of  Sir  John  Herschel  himself,  from  whose  catalogue  the  nebulae 
observed  were  selected  ;  and  further,  that  it  has  become  a  classical  paper  with  astron- 
omers, serving  to-day,  and  for  all  time,  as  a  standard  of  comparison  for  subsequent 
observers,  it  does  not  seem  surprising  that  Professor  Olmsted  regarded  him  as  the 
most  remarkable  genius  that  ever  graduated  from  Yale  College.  And  especially  when 
we  take  into  the  account  that  Mason's  labors  had  at  the  time  of  his  graduation  under- 
mined his  health,  and  that,  while  wasting  with  consumption,  he  contrived,  during  the 
short  year  that  remained  to  him  of  life,  besides  a  great  deal  of  other  work,  to  find  time 
and  strength  to  write  an  original  and  elaborate  mathematical  treatise  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  octavo  pages  on  practical  astronomy,  and  to  conduct  in  the  field  the  most 
important  part  of  the  astronomical  work  of  the  United  States  government  survey  of 
the  disputed  boundary  between  Maine  and  Canada,  we  can  restrain  neither  our  admi- 
ration of  a  youth  so  gifted,  nor  our  regret  that  abilities  so  transcendent  could  not  have 
been  longer  spared  to  science  and  the  world.  Mason  came  back  from  the  boundary 
survey,  late  in  the  autumn  of  1840,  too  weak  to  undertake  the  reduction  of  the  obser- 
vations, which  otherwise  would  have  been  wholly  intrusted  to  his  care  ;  and  after  a 
brief  visit  at  Professor  Olmsted's,  in  New  Haven,  where  he  penned  the  last  paragraph 
of  his  "Practical  Astronomy,"  when  almost  too  feeble  to  write  at  all,  he  made  his  way 
by  slow  stages  to  his  relatives  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  where  he  arrived  December 
15th,  in  a  state  of  great  exhaustion,  and  died  on  the  26th,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years  and  nineteen  days. 

Professor  Olmsted,  in  his  memoir  of  Mason,  very  justly  says  of  his  astronomical 
qualifications:  "The  peculiar  assemblage  of  faculties  requisite  to  form  the  great 
astronomer  is  seldom  found  united  in  the  same  individual,  comprising,  as  it  does,  so 
many  of  the  higher  attributes  of  genius — a  head  of  exquisite  delicacy  to  construct  and 
adjust,  an  eye  endued  with  extraordinary  powers  of  vision  to  observe,  an  intellect  the 
most  profound  to  follow  out  all  the  consequences  of  astronomical  discovery,  and  that 


PROFESSOR   D  EMS  ON  OLMSTED.  249 

unconquerable  enthusiasm  which  is  regardless  of  the  loss  of  rest,  of  exposures  by 
night,  and  even  of  life  itself.  These  qualities  were  severally  possessed  by  young 
Mason  in  an  unusual  degree  ;  but  it  was  their  striking  and  harmonious  union,  which, 
from  the  time  I  first  discovered  it,  led  me  to  recognize  in  him  the  promise  of  one 
probably  destined  to  enlarge  the  boundaries  of  astronomical  science."  And  he 
remarks  with  equal  justness,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  memoir  on  the  nebulae  is  the 
first  considerable  contribution  to  astronomy,  in  the  way  of  original  observation  and 
discovery,  made  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  that  "  Mason,  young  as  he  was  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  was  clearly  entitled  to  rank  among  the  first  astronomers  of  America." 
His  friend  Smith  very  aptly  likened  him  to  the  younger  Herschel,  with  the  suggestion, 
however,  that  in  many  points  he  even  excelled  that  versatile  and  distinguished  astron- 
omer. His  acuteness  as  an  observer,  his  quickness  and  penetration  as  a  mathema- 
tician, his  capabilities  as  a  poet,  his  delicate  and  unobtrusive  manners,  his  sweetness 
of  temper,  and  his  purity  and  elevation  of  character,  produced  a  strong  impression,  not 
only  on  the  classmate  who  knew  him  best  in  his  college  days,  but  also  on  all  who 
ever  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance.  "  Among  his  comrades,"  the  same  class- 
mate testifies,  "  he  was  acknowleged  by  all  to  be  a  wonder." 

Professor  S.  C.  Walker,  himself  among  the  first  of  American  astronomers,  and  well 
acquainted  with  Mason  personally,  speaks  of  his  genius  as  of  the  highest  order,  and 
says:  "  His  drawings  of  the  telescopic  appearances  of  four  remarkable  nebulae,  two  of 
them  in  part  or  altogether  his  own  discoveries,  are  the  most  remarkable  works  of  the 
kind  extant."  And  again  :  "  In  both  these  pursuits — the  discovery  of  nebulae,  and  the 
computation  of  the  orbits  of  double  stars — our  Mason  was,  I  believe,  the  first  American 
whose  efforts  have  been  crowned  with  success."  Some  of  Mason's  papers,  particularly 
one  on  his  telescopic  observations  of  shooting-stars,  were  handed  to  Professor  Walker 
for  publication  at  their  last  interview,  when  he  was  in  Philadelphia,  on  his  way  to  his 
final  resting-place  in  Virginia.  This  paper,  as  well  as  that  on  the  nebulae,  and  his 
book  on  astronomy,  Mason  never  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  in  print,  as  they  were  only 
passing  through  the  press  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Professor  Olmsted,  as  a  classmate  and  intimate  friend  of  Professor  Alexander  M. 
Fisher,  was  naturally  led  to  a  comparison  of  his  genius  with  that  of  Mason.  After 
characterizing  Fisher's  excellence  as  that  of  pure  intellect,  great  strength  of  mind,  and 
soundness  of  judgment,  with  no  bias  or  genius  for  a  specialty,  and  noting  that  Fisher 
died  at  twenty-eight,  while  Mason  was  only  twenty-one,  he  remarks:  "  It  is  impossible 
to  say  whether  Mason,  if  he  had  lived  to  the  same  age  with  Fisher,  would  have  exhib- 
ited an  intellect  as  profound  and  a  judgment  as  strong ;  but  he  had,  unquestionably,  a 
much  greater  variety  of  powers,  uniting  as  he  did,  in  the  finest  proportions,  the  quali- 
ties of  the  artist,  the  mathematician,  and  the  poet."  And  we  may  conclude  this  article 
with  the  following  words  of  Professor  Olmsted,  in  his  parallel  between  these  two  stars 
of  genius:  "Without  attempting  further  to  draw  nice  distinctions  between  forms  of 
high  and  acknowledged  excellence,  we  may  venture  to  predict  that  in  the  annals  of 
Yale,  Alexander  Metcalf  Fisher  and  Ebenezer  Porter  Mason  will  ever  occupy  a  page 
among  the  most  gifted  of  her  sons." 
vol.  1. — 32 


WILLIAM    A.   LARNED, 

PROFESSOR   OF    RHETORIC   AND    ENGLISH    LITERATURE. 
B  V  RE  V.  HENR  Y  N.  DA  Y,  NE  W  HA  VEN. 


His  Parentage. — Leading  Incidents  in  his  Life. — Estimate  of  his  Character  as  a  Man  and  as  an 
Officer  in  College. — Special  Characteristics  of  his  Labors  as  Teacher  of  Rhetoric. — Comparative 
Results  of  his  Methods  on  the  System  of  Rhetorical  Instruction  in  the  College. 

Rev.  William  A.  Larned  was  the  immediate  successor  of  Professor  Goodrich,  and 
was,  accordingly,  the  second  occupant  of  the  chair  of  Rhetoric  and  English  Litera- 
ture in  the  college.  He  was  born  of  a  family  characterized  by  intelligence  and  piety, 
in  Thompson,  Connecticut,  June  23,  1806.  He  was  fitted  for  college  at  Monson 
Academy,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Sophomore  Class  in  Yale  College  in  1823,  and 
graduated  with  honor  in  1826.  After  spending  two  years  in  teaching,  in  Salisbury, 
North  Carolina,  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  a  tutor  in  Yale  College  in  1828,  which 
office  he  resigned  in  1831.  Up  to  that  year  he  had  contemplated  engaging  in  the 
profession  of  his  father,  that  of  the  law ;  but  experiencing  at  this  time  a  fundamental 
change  in  his  religious  life,  he  relinquished  the  law  for  theology,  and  pursued  his 
studies  in  the  Theological  Department,  till  May,  1834,  when  he  was  ordained  pastor  of 
the  Congregational  Church  in  Millbury,  Massachusetts.  In  October  of  the  following 
year  he  was  constrained  by  failing  health  to  resign  his  pastorate,  which  had  been  most 
happily  and  hopefully  begun.  The  following  three  years  he  spent  in  a  theological 
institution  in  Troy,  New  York,  as  instructor  in  the  original  languages  of  the  Bible. 
His  health  languishing,  and  the  institution  becoming  financially  embarrassed,  he 
removed  to  New  Haven,  devoting  himself  to  the  study  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  language. 
In  the  autumn  of  this  year,  1839,  on  the  transfer  of  Professor  Goodrich  to  the  Theo- 
logical Department,  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Rhetoric  and  English  Literature,  in 
which  office  he  continued  till  his  very  sudden  death,  which  occurred  on  Monday  after- 
noon, February  3,  1862.  At  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  in  taking 
his  regular  exercise,  he  walked  to  the  house  of  a  friend,  just  out  of  the  city  lines,  which 
had  been  left  in  the  charge  of  a  poor  family.     In  this  family  he  had  long  taken  an 

250 


^S-»'*-*' 


j/f* 


PROFESSOR    WILLIAM  A.  LARNED.  25 1 

interest,  and  with  them  he  spent  about  half  an  hour  in  hearing  the  Sunday-school 
lessons  of  the  children,  complaining  at  the  time  of  a  pain  in  his  head,  and  then  left  for 
home.  On  his  way  he  fell  unconscious  on  the  railroad  track,  which  he  was  crossing, 
and  died  about  six  o'clock,  giving  no  signs  of  recovered  consciousness. 

Mr.  Larned  was  married,  in  1843,  to  Miss  Irene  Battell,  of  Norfolk,  Connecticut. 
He  left  no  children. 

In  his  physical  constitution  Mr.  Larned  was  not  over  robust,  and  in  his  maturer  life 
he  was  subject  to  a  disease — chronic  dyspepsia — which  somewhat  enhanced  his  natural 
sensitiveness  and  self-distrust,  at  times  depressing  his  spirits,  and  dampening  his  char- 
acteristic earnestness  and  ardor.  But,  although  modest  and  retiring  in  disposition,  he 
was  frank,  open,  bold,  firm  and  strong  in  his  convictions,  and  fearless  in  his  adherence  to 
them.  Cautious  and  thorough  in  his  investigations  of  truth,  and  especially  of  that  truth 
which  bears  upon  the  life,  conscientious,  too,  in  all  pursuits,  his  very  self-forgetfulness 
explained  his  fearlessness  in  action.  He  was  from  boyhood  thoughtful,  diligent,  faith- 
ful to  every  obligation.  He  was  earnest,  too,  and  became  an  assiduous  and  successful 
student.  His  culture  was  broad,  which  turned  more  towards  the  intellectual  and  moral 
than  the  aesthetic  side  of  his  nature.  Truth  and  duty  were  more  to  him  than  form.  He 
was,  however,  amiable,  gentle,  sympathetic,  kind.  Piety  was  to  him  principle  and  life. 
Altogether  his  character  was  one  of  great  simplicity  and  loveliness.  He  was  trusted, 
respected,  beloved,  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  most  by  those  who  knew  him  best. 

As  an  officer  of  the  college  he  was  unselfishly  devoted  to  its  interests,  consecrating 
to  it  his  best  and  fullest  energies.  By  his  characteristic  magnanimity  and  sympathetic 
kindness,  by  his  own  unsuspicious  and  trusting  spirit,  he  easily  won  the  confidence  of 
his  pupils,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  impress  upon  them,  all  unconsciously  to  them- 
selves, the  high  qualities  of  his  own  character.  This  highest  function  of  a  teacher, 
training  through  unconscious  personal  influence,  he  fulfilled  with  eminent  success, 
moulding  insensibly  and  gradually  their  habits  of  thought  and  conduct  after  his  own, 
He  was  a  good  disciplinarian.  He  was  also  a  good  teacher.  He  was  thorough  in 
his  own  preparations  for  meeting  his  classes  ;  earnest  in  his  endeavors  to  impart 
instruction,  while  sympathetically  thoughtful  of  the  difficulties  and  perplexities  of  the 
learner  ;  and  simple  and  clear  in  his  statements  and  explanations.  If  he  did  not  over- 
strain the  immature  capacity  of  his  pupils  by  urging  them  into  the  depths  of  philo- 
sophical abstractions,  he  led  them  securely  along  the  level  path  of  those  established 
principles  that  had  been  matured  into  a  well-defined  body  of  expression. 

It  was,  however,  in  his  province  of  training,  particularly  in  his  own  department  of 
rhetoric,  of  stimulating  and  shaping  the  faculty  of  thought  and  expression,  that  is  to  be 
found  the  crowning  merit  and  success  of  his  work  in  the  college.  As  the  professorship 
of  rhetoric  enjoys  this  high  distinction  above  the  other  chairs  of  instruction  that  it  has 
more  directly  to  do  with  the  personal  habits  of  thinking  and  speaking  in  the  pupil,  so 
the  personal  qualities  of  Mr.  Larned  peculiarly  fitted  him  to  exert  this  developing  and 
fashioning  power.  So  sympathetically  genial  in  his  own  spirit,  so  sunny  and  hopeful, 
so  self- forgetting,  and  so  earnestly  intent  on  his  pupils'  profit,  he  easily  brought  their 
minds  under  his  quickening  and  plastic  power. 


252 


VALE  COLLEGE. 


There  are  three  leading  characteristics  easily  discernible  in  his  labors  in  this 
province.  In  the  first  place,  he  emphasized  the  thought  to  be  expressed,  and  relatively 
depressed  the  outward  forms  of  expression.  He  labored  with  unwearying  patience  to 
secure  from  his  pupils  accurate  thinking  and  clear  unfolding  of  actual  thought,  leaving 
it  to  the  elaborated  and  matured  thought,  as  of  its  own  instinct,  to  take  on  its  appro- 
priate body  of  verbal  expression.  In  this  particular  his  work  contrasted  widely  with 
that  of  his  predecessor,  Professor  Goodrich,  who  turned  the  attention  of  his  pupils 
more  on  the  completed  endeavor  as  fully  formed  out  in  word  and  utterance,  emphasiz- 
ing imagery  and  diction.  This  was  a  natural  and  most  happy  advance  in  the  method 
of  instruction  in  rhetoric  in  the  college.  While  the  outward  methods  remained  substan- 
tially unchanged — with  a  like  number  of  rhetorical  exercises,  similar  modes  of  pre- 
scribing or  selecting  themes,  similar  criticisms  and  revisions — the  spirit  of  instruction 
and  training  in  these  methods  was  essentially  different.  The  art  of  rhetoric  had  not  in 
his  time  so  distinctly  advanced  to  the  third  stage  in  its  progress,  in  which,  with  diction 
and  thought,  a  rational  aim  is  proposed  as  governing  in  all  construction  of  discourse, 
directing  every  step  from  beginning  to  end,  attracting  and  prompting  to  the  under- 
taking, guiding,  and  facilitating  the  work  itself,  and  making  every  performance  in  a 
certain  degree  a  satisfying  success ;  but  the  advance  made  in  the  method  of  teaching 
rhetoric,  from  absorbing  care  for  style  to  supply  of  thought,  was  a  vast  improvement ; 
and  the  service  of  Professor  Larned  in  this  particular  way,  both  to  his  pupils  and  to 
the  college  generally,  was  great  and  most  worthy  of  commemoration. 

A  second  noticeable  characteristic  of  Mr.  Larned's  teaching  was  his  inspiration  of 
confidence  into  the  minds  of  his  pupils,  making  them  to  feel  conscious  of  their  full 
ability  to  perform  creditably  their  rhetorical  tasks.  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties 
which  a  teacher  of  composition  has  to  encounter  arises  from  this — that  the  pupil's  taste 
is  generally  developed  disproportionately  to  his  power  of  execution.  His  conscious 
inability  to  realize  his  ideal  in  writing  discourages  him  from  undertaking.  The  best 
cultured  student  thus  is  often  most  disinclined  to  the  effort  of  writing,  sometimes 
indeed  to  the  degree  of  entire  desperation  as  to  the  possibility  of  performance.  Mr. 
Larned's  personal  temperament,  his  gentle  mode  of  dealing  with  his  pupils,  and  above 
all  his  fixing  their  minds  on  the  essential  thing  in  writing — the  simple  expression  in 
natural  diction  of  their  own  thoughts — eminently  enabled  him  to  inspire  confidence  in 
their  ability  satisfactorily  to  perform  the  tasks  assigned  them. 

The  third  characteristic  to  be  noticed  in  Mr.  Larned  as  an  instructor  lay  in  his 
efficient  helpfulness  to  his  pupils,  in  his  deep  desire  to  be  helpful,  and  in  his  judicious 
and  acceptable  way  of  helping.  He  helped  because  he  loved  and  sought  to  help  ;  his 
aid  was  therefore  freely  asked  and  freely  accepted  and  made  available.  But  he  helped 
not  by  doing  the  work  himself,  but  by  directing  and  encouraging  exertion  on  the  part 
of  his  pupils.  He  talked  over  with  them  their  first  draughts  in  composition,  drew  out 
their  thoughts  before  their  own  consciousness,  put  them  in  satisfying  possession  and 
control  of  their  thoughts,  and  thus  inspired  in  them  that  strong  incentive  to  artistic 
production  which  arises  from  the  feeling  that  the  work  is  all  one's  own.  His  help, 
accordingly,   was    not    such   as   saved  exertion,    but    rather   incited   to   more    earnest 


PROFESSOR    WILLIAM  A.  LARKED.  253 

and  patient  effort,  by   making  it  appear  practicable   and  promising  of  ultimate  suc- 
cess. 

Professor  Larned's  term  of  service  in  his  professorship  almost  exactly  paralleled 
itself  with  that  of  his  predecessor,  exceeding  it  by  only  the  few  months  of  his  twenty- 
third  year.  Each  accomplished  a  noble  work  for  the  college,  the  one  beginning  as  in 
the  order  of  nature  with  the  outward  form  of  discourse  and  laying  the  foundations  of 
effective  rhetorical  training  in  careful  study  of  imagery  and  diction,  the  other  building 
up  a  grand  superstructure  on  these  foundations  in  his  method  of  emphasizing  the 
thought  as  the  paramount  element  in  discourse  ;  each  fitted  to  his  own  stage  of  pro- 
gress in  rhetorical  art ;  each  turning  to  the  best  account  the  long  period  of  time 
allotted  to  them  for  developing,  improving,  and  establishing  in  the  college  their 
respective  methods  of  training  ;  each  carrying  into  his  actual  work  the  same  spirit  of 
self-sacrificing  consecration  along  with  high  native  endowment  and  liberal  culture  ; 
each,  in  short,  winning  a  memorable  fame  for  himself  while  contributing,  in  his  own 
peculiar  way,  to  the  just  fame  of  the  college. 


ANTHONY    D.    STANLEY, 

PROFESSOR    OF    MATHEMATICS. 
BY  PROFESSOR  ELI  AS  LOO  MIS. 


His  Birth. —Early  Education. — College  Course. — Indication's  of  Mathematical  Talent. — Elected 
Tutor  in  Yale  College. — Elected  Professor  of  Mathematics. — Publication  of  Logarithmic  Tables  and 
Treatise  on  Spherical  Geometry. — Failure  of  his  Health. — His  Death. — Characteristic  Traits. — 
Estimate  of  his  Scientific  Abilities. 

Anthony  Dumond  Stanley,  son  of  Martin  Stanley  and  Catharine  (Van  Garsbeck) 
Stanley,  was  born  in  East  Hartford,  Connecticut,  April  2,  18 10.  He  fitted  for  college 
at  the  Hartford  Grammar  School,  under  the  instruction  of  Edward  Beecher  and  William 
M.  Holland,  the  former  of  whom  subsequently  became  President  of  Illinois  College, 
and  the  latter  became  Professor  of  Greek  and  Latin  in  Trinity  College.  Mr.  Stanley 
entered  college  in  the  autumn  of  1826,  and  graduated  in  1830.  During  his  college 
course  he  was  known  as  a  regular  and  faithful  student,  accurate  in  all  the  prescribed 
studies  ;  but  he  was  especially  distinguished  for  his  excellence  in  the  mathematics. 
Whenever  any  unusual  difficulty  occurred,  either  in  the  solution  of  a  problem  or  in 
the  demonstration  of  a  theorem,  he  was  generally  found  to  be  the  first  to  solve  it. 
After  leaving  college  he  was  for  two  years  one  of  the  instructors  in  the  Hartford 
Grammar  School.  In  the  autumn  of  1832  he  was  elected  tutor  in  Yale  College, 
and  he  continued  in  this  office  for  four  years.  During  this  period  his  spare  time 
was  chiefly  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  mathematics.  He  took  special  interest  in  the 
theory  of  numbers,  and  on  one  occasion  had  an  excellent  opportunity  to  display  his 
skill  in  that  department.  In  the  summer  of  1835  an  anonymous  writer  in  the  Stamford 
Sentinel  challenged  the  entire  Faculty  of  Yale  College  to  arrange  the  nine  digits  in 
such  order  that  their  square  root  could  be  extracted  without  a  remainder.  In  a  few 
days,  Mr.  Stanley,  over  the  signature  "X,"  gave  the  required  solution,  and  added  that 
the  question  admitted  of  more  than  one  answer,  and  called  upon  the  proposer  to  pro- 
duce them.  To  this  challenge  his  opponent  made  an  evasive  reply,  in  which  he  stated 
the   number  of  solutions   to   be  nine,   but  did   not  communicate   any   solution.      Mr. 

254 


c7    t<z~\ 


<Z^<-^ 


PROFESSOR  ANTHONY  I).   STANLEY.  255 

Stanley  immediately  replied,  furnishing  twenty-eight  different  modes  in  which  the  nine 
digits  may  be  arranged  so  as  to  satisfy  the  required  conditions.  Even  this  large  num- 
ber does  not  show  the  entire  number  of  solutions  of  which  the  problem  is  susceptible. 

Although  Mr.  Stanley's  time  was  mainly  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  mathematics, 
yet  during  most  of  the  four  years  of  his  tutorship  he  gave  instruction  in  Latin,  which 
subject  he  selected  for  the  reason  that  many  of  the  most  important  mathematical  works 
were  written  in  Latin,  and  he  was  desirous  of  acquiring  such  a  familiarity  with  that 
language  that  he  could  read  it  with  facility  and  pleasure. 

Until  1836,  the  subjects  of  mathematics  and  natural  philosophy  had  formed  but  a 
single  department  in  Yale  College ;  but  in  that  year  this  department  was  divided,  and 
Mr.  Stanley  was  chosen  Professor  of  Mathematics.  Before  entering  upon  his  new 
duties  he  received  permission  to  spend  two  years  in  Europe,  in  order  to  render  himself 
familiar  with  the  French  and  other  languages,  and  to  study  the  institutions  of  learning 
abroad.  A  large  part  of  this  time  he  spent  in  Paris,  attending  lectures  at  the  Sor- 
bonne  and  College  of  France,  and  he  devoted  his  vacations  to  travel. 

From  1838  to  1849  ne  devoted  himself  faithfully  to  mathematical  instruction  in  Yale 
College,  and  to  extending  his  acquaintance  with  the  more  difficult  parts  of  his  depart- 
ment. In  1846,  he  published  an  octavo  volume  of  three  hundred  and  forty  pages, 
entitled  "  Tables  of  Logarithms  of  Numbers  and  of  Logarithmic  Sines,  Tangents,  and 
Secants,  to  seven  places  of  Decimals,  together  with  other  Tables  of  frequent  Use  in  the 
Study  of  Mathematics  and  in  Practical  Calculations."  Upon  this  volume  Professor 
Stanley  expended  an  immense  amount  of  labor  in  order  to  insure  the  highest  degree 
of  accuracy.  Each  proof  was  carefully  compared  with  the  tables  of  Vega,  Callet, 
Hutton,  Babbage,  and  Shortrede  ;  and  in  the  course  of  these  comparisons  he  detected 
in  these  works  a  considerable  number  of  errors,  of  which  he  published  a  list  in  the 
Amei'ican  Journal  of  Science  for  1848,  volume  v.,  page  398.  Professor  Stanley's  Tables 
have  proved  to  be  uncommonly  accurate,  and  very  few  errors  have  been  discovered 
in  them. 

In  1848,  Professor  Stanley  published  a  small  volume  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-two 
pages,  entitled  "  An  Elementary  Treatise  on  Spherical  Geometry  and  Trigonometry." 
The  first  half  of  this  volume  gives  a  clear  exposition  of  the  principles  of  spherical 
geometry,  and  the  last  half  explains  the  principles  of  spherical  trigonometry  with  their 
application  to  the  solution  of  triangles,  both  right-angled  and  oblique,  illustrated  by 
numerical  examples,  in  which  the  computation  is  made  by  logarithms  to  seven  places. 
This  volume  has  been  extensively  used  as  a  text-book  of  instruction  for  college  classes. 

The  only  scientific  memoir  which  Professor  Stanley  published  appeared  in  the 
American  Journal  of  Science  for  1847,  volume  iii.,  page  415,  and  is  entitled,  "On  the 
Variation  of  a  Differential  Co-efficient  of  a  Function  of  any  Number  of  Variables."  In 
this  memoir  he  resolves  a  problem  which  had  already  occupied  the  attention  of 
Lagrange,  Poisson,  Ostrogradsky,  and  Pagani,  the  latter  of  whom  was  the  only  one 
who  obtained  a  correct  solution  of  it.  Professor  Stanley  here  gives  a  solution  of  the 
same  problem  more  simple  and  concise  than  Pagani's,  and  which  was  discovered  before 
receiving  the   solution   of  that   mathematician.       This   memoir  shows  that    Professor 


256  YALE  COLLEGE. 

Stanley  was  competent  to  grapple  successfully  with  mathematical  problems  of  the 
highest  difficulty. 

In  the  autumn  of  1849,  Professor  Stanley  took  a  severe  cold,  which  was  followed  by 
a  lung  fever,  and  left  him  with  a  bronchial  weakness  from  which  he  never  recovered. 
He  sought  relief  by  resorting  to  the  milder  climates  of  Italy  and  Egypt,  and,  after 
crossing  the  desert,  visited  Jerusalem  and  many  interesting  localities  in  Syria  and  Asia 
Minor  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  1850.  In  the  ensuing  autumn  he  resumed  his 
college  duties,  and  attempted  to  complete  the  mathematical  labors  which  he  had 
previously  commenced.  Before  the  failure  of  his  health  in  1849,  ne  nacl  commenced 
the  revision  of  Day's  Algebra,  and  after  his  return  from  Europe  he  assisted  in  complet- 
ing the  revision.  The  long  and  highly  important  sections  on  the  theory  and  resolution 
of  equations  are  from  his  pen.  After  a  brief  period  of  labor  it  became  evident  that  he 
must  leave  his  class-room,  and  probably  forever.  He  retired  to  his  home  in  East 
Hartford,  where  everything  which  a  devoted  mother  could  suggest  was  done  for  him, 
but  in  vain.  His  bodily  strength  gradually  wasted  away,  and  he  died  March  16, 
1853.  His  funeral  services  were  attended  from  his  father's  house  by  the  president  and 
professors  of  Yale  College,  and  by  several  of  his  classmates,  who  bore  him  to  his  grave. 

Professor  Stanley  was  naturally  diffident  and  unassuming.  When  an  undergrad- 
uate he  was  quiet  and  unobtrusive,  and  never  inclined  to  take  the  lead  in  any  college 
movement.  He  was,  however,  always  ready  to  join  in  any  of  the  games  common 
among  his  fellow  students,  whether  games  of  skill,  like  chess,  or  athletic  sports,  like 
ball-playing.  While  a  tutor  he  manifested  the  same  traits,  and  was  always  ready 
to  engage  in  any  games  in  which  the  other  tutors  would  join  him.  Quoit-pitching 
was  an  amusement  much  in  vogue  at  that  time,  and  in  this  game  he  was  fully  equal  to 
his  associates.  But  after  he  had  attained  to  the  rank  of  professor,  he  gradually  aban- 
doned his  former  habits  of  active  exercise.  His  older  associates  in  the  Faculty  had 
families  to  occupy  their  attention,  and  his  younger  associates  among  the  tutors  never 
supplied  the  places  of  his  college  classmates  who,  one  by  one,  had  been  called  away 
to  other  spheres  of  labor.  Being  unmarried,  his  books  henceforth  became  almost  his 
sole  companions,  and  he  gradually  settled  down  into  the  habits  of  a  recluse.  He 
spent  most  of  his  time  in  his  college  room,  and  his  principal  exercise  consisted  in  peri- 
odical walks  to  the  recitation-room  and  to  his  boarding-house,  and  back  again  to  his 
college  room.  The  result  was  a  gradual  failure  of  his  physical  energy,  which  prepared 
the  way  for  the  fever  of  1849,  ar>d  rendered  his  subsequent  recovery  almost  hopeless. 

While  Professor  Stanley  never  obtruded  his  opinions  upon  others,  and  often  ap- 
peared reluctant  to  express  his  views  even  when  called  upon,  he  was,  nevertheless, 
decided  in  his  convictions  and  tenacious  of  his  opinions.  His  temperament  was 
remarkably  even  and  free  from  excitement,  and  he  seldom  had  occasion  to  retract  or 
modify  an  opinion  once  expressed.  Few  persons  were  admitted  to  his  confidence,  but 
those  who  enjoyed  this  privilege  found  him  a  genial  companion  and  a  friend  who  could 
always  be  trusted.  As  a  man  of  science  his  influence  was  felt  upon  a  succession  of 
classes  of  Yale  College,  and  if  his  life  and  health  had  been  spared  he  would  doubtless 
have  secured  a  reputation  not  American  merely,  but  cosmopolitan. 


